Stolen Kisses
by sinister banana
Summary: In which Gui gets drunk and makes out with Prince. Disaster and a romantic plot ensue. Mwahaha.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own 1/2 Prince. It belongs to Yu Wo.

A/N: Happy Holidays! Please enjoy chapter one of **_Stolen Kisses_**. o(^0^)o

* * *

**Chapter One**

He wasn't quite sure how it happened. One minute he was walking in the castle courtyard. There was no one else around. And the next second his armored body was pressed up against the cold stone walls and a sloppy kiss covered his mouth.

"Prince…" Gui's breathy voice whispered against his throat as the bard began to trail kisses up and down his neck. "So beautiful…"

Prince's heart leapt in his throat. _What the hell did Gui think he was doing?_ "You bast-mph!"

Soft lips covered his again, muffling the sound of his struggling. One hand rested on the small of his back as the other caressed the fine features of his face. Lips parted and a tongue begged for entrance against his now swollen lips. The faint smell of alcohol cut through the haze as Prince was brought back to reality. _Gui was drunk!_

"Idiot!" Prince punched Gui in the face, sending him sprawling across the courtyard. He lay there motionless. Prince kicked him hard for good measure.

**~o~0~o~**

Gui opened his eyes in the infirmary. Ugly Wolf looked down at him in disapproval. "Wha…What just happened?" Gui asked, shaking his head and blinking bleary eyes. He could feel the splitting headache of a massive hangover starting to form.

Wolf-ge sighed. "Well, it appears you made his lordship angry and he beat you to oblivion in the courtyard."

Gui groaned. _Not again_. "What did I do _this _time?"

Ugly Wolf raised an eyebrow. "You mean you don't remember?"

Gui winced as he shook his head. "No…"

Ugly Wolf crossed his arms and sat back in his chair. "They are making this game too much like real life," he sighed. "Well I suggest you find out and apologize soon. The last thing you said before leaving the bar was that you needed to go find Prince."

**~o~0~o~**

Feng Lan woke up. _How dare he?_ She grumbled as she took off her headset for Second Life. That stupid, perverted bard had the audacity to force himself on her…well…on Prince. If he ever tried such a thing again, she'd hit him so hard he'd wake up at the Rebirthing Point.

"What's up, sis?" Feng Yang Ming greeted her cheerily at the breakfast table. He took one look at her disheveled appearance. "Something wrong?"

Feng Lan grumbled unhappily. "Idiot…I'll kill him."

"Alright then," Yang Ming picked up his school bag as he tried to dodge conversation. He knew how upset his sister could get and he didn't want to stick around for it. He rushed out the door. "See you are school, sis!"

Wait. School?

"Nooooo!" She'd have to see him at school in _real_ life. This day was just getting better and better.

**~o~0~o~**

Professor Min Gui Wen walked into class looking completely downtrodden. Prince had logged off before he'd had the chance to apologize. The thought of Prince hating him was eating him up, but there was nothing he could do until logging into game later that evening. He sighed heavily. He looked up just as Feng Yang Ming walked into class. At one time, Professor Min had believed Yang Ming was Prince. But Yang Ming was Wu Qing. But...argh! Maybe if he apologized to Yang Ming? He was desperate.

"Yang Ming!" Professor Min called. Class was about to start. Yang Ming turned around looking confused.

"Yes, Professor?"

Gui took in Yang Ming's expression. There was no way this guy could be Prince. Prince would be staring daggers at him right now.

"Um…" The professor looked around for a reason of calling Yang Ming out. "Where is your sister? Class is about to start."

"Right here, Professor." Feng Lan stormed into the classroom just as the bell rang. She threw her satchel onto her desk and sat down. She looked absolutely livid. Yang Ming looked extremely nervous as he took the seat in front of her.

Professor Min sighed. Sibling rivalry. He was so glad he was an only child.

"Alright, students. Now that Feng Lan has finally decided to grace us with her presence we'll start class."

**~o~0~o~**

Feng Lan seethed at the back of the classroom. _How dare he scold her in class?_ That perverted creep didn't deserve to be a teacher. If this was Second Life, she'd punch him into oblivion all over again. How dare he think he was going to get away kissing her with those incredibly soft and tantalizing lips?

Feng Lan gulped. No. She did not just think that. Gui was _not_ attractive in any way possible. He was an idiot. A completely dumb and unfathomable idiot. She looked up at Professor Min as he spoke eloquently on the _Romance of the Three Kingdoms_. How was this man Gui? It didn't make sense. He was so young. So smart. So..._handsome_.

If Professor Min had latched onto her in a drunken haze, would she have pushed him off? If he had sent the same tingles down her neck that Gui did, would she have had the strength to deck him in the face? Professor Min caught her gaze as she blushed. He raised an eyebrow. It was at that moment that Feng Lan remembered that Professor Min was indeed Gui who was a flaming homosexual that only wanted Prince. Her blush turned into a deep scowl.

**~o~0~o~**

Feng Lan did not want to log into Second Life. But the idea of punching Gui again was enough motivation to put on her gaming helmet as she lay down to sleep.

"PRINCE!"

Oh Lord. Did she really have to deal with this already?

"PRINCE!"

"GO AWAY!" Prince turned around and yelled into Gui's crying face.

Gui's face looked torn as more tears began to stream down his face. "But…But…"

"Didn't you already do enough yesterday?" Prince hissed under his breath, realizing suddenly that he had appeared in the bustling marketplace of the Infinite City. Market vendors and shoppers looked on curiously at the spectacle of the handsome bard laying prostrate at the Blood Elf's feet.

"That's just it, Prince," Gui continued to sob. "I don't remember anything that happened."

Prince was ready to throw a fit. But he was trying to gain more reputation right now. As much as he wanted to deck Gui in the face again, he couldn't do it in the crowded streets of his city with hundreds of curious onlookers. His reputation as a respectable lord would drop.

"You drunken idiot," Prince hissed and began to stalk towards the castle's interior. "I'm not telling you here."

Gui followed closely on his heels wailing. "Whatever I did, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to. I was drunk! I'm sorry!"

"Gui, shut up," Wicked walked towards them once they had entered the castle's interiors. He eyed the teary-eyed bard and the seething elf. "What did you do to annoy Prince this time?"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

A soft, feminine laugh sounded around the corner. A few seconds later, Lolidragon appeared smirking. "I can tell you someone who knows," she paused for dramatic effect. "I did! I saw _everything_."

Prince stopped dead in his tracks. He whipped around, pointing wildly in Lolidragon's direction. "You saw what?"

"What did you see, Lolidragon?" Ugly Wolf made his entrance. No, no, no, no, no! Prince did not want anyone to know about how he had been overtaken by the drunken bard. He was the famous and invincible Blood Elf for heaven's sake. And he was very straight, thank you very much.

"Prince was in the courtyard and Gui-"

"NO!" Prince clasped his hand over Lolidragon's mouth. "No! You won't speak a word of it."

Lolidragon struggled. "But if Gui did it, then why can't I?"

"Gui, what did you do?" Wicked pointed his finger in Gui's face.

"I don't know!" Gui began wailing again.

"Gui stole something from Prince and I just want what Gui had," Lolidragon continued struggling to get out of Prince's hold. "And if Prince gives it to me then I won't ever speak a word of this again."

Prince's mouth dropped. "You're trying to blackmail me?"

In the meantime, Ugly Wolf had turned around to Gui's startled face. "You stole something from Prince?"

"No wonder he decked you," Wicked snickered.

Prince mulled over his options. He didn't want anyone to know Gui kissed him. But he had to kiss Lolidragon in exchange. On top of that, it was _Lolidragon_. That voluptuous women knew about his true identity.

"Argh, this is so stupid!" Prince turned on Lolidragon. "If you saw then why didn't you help me yesterday?"

Lolidragon's eyes turned wide and her eyes glistened at the memory. "Because, Prince," she smiled. "It's every fan girl's dream to see-"

"Ok, shut up!" Prince cut her off. He could see the others slowly starting to put the pieces of Lolidragon's statement together. He had to stop this before that blasted woman let anything more slip.

"Fine!" Prince declared. "I'll give it to you. No one else is to follow." Prince glared at his companions as he grabbed Lolidragon's hand and stalked off. Lolidragon squealed in delight.

Ugly Wolf turned to Wicked. "You don't think…?"

"No…" Wicked looked thoughtful. "Maybe?" The full thought of it hit him. "That stupid Gui!" He turned around to punch him. But Gui was no where to be found.

**~o~0~o~**

Prince and Lolidragon were headed for the courtyard. It was usually empty. Gui followed at a safe distance. He had to know what he did to make Prince so angry. He couldn't believe he had stolen something from his beloved Blood Elf.

Prince scanned the area to make sure they were alone. He realized they were in the same courtyard as yesterday.

"So?" Lolidragon looked at him eagerly.

"I can't believe you're making me do this!" Prince whined.

"But if you don't want anyone to know about you and Gui…"

"I know," Prince sighed. He was getting a headache. "But just a little one, ok?"

"Aw, Prince…"

"Just one or you're getting nothing!" Prince shouted.

"Ok," Lolidragon's shoulders fell slightly.

Gui leaned in closer to see what Prince would give Lolidragon. He was very surprised when Lolidragon suddenly leaned in and grabbed the front of Prince's collar to kiss him fully on the lips.

**~0~o~0~**

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A/N: Reviews will be greatly appreciated! Please and thx. (^-^)v

**Preview next chapter:**

_Gui suddenly turned pale. "Wait a second…you mean…"_

_"That's right," Lolidragon smirked triumphantly. "Yesterday you got drunk and made-out with Prince."_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own 1/2 Prince. It belongs to Yu Wo.

A/N: Thank you to everyone that reviewed so far! And...I'm still playing around with this. It's so hard sometimes figuring out whether to write he or she when referring to Prince/Feng Lan. So I refer to Prince as "she" sometimes when I think he's acting a bit more like Feng Lan in the game. If you have any thoughts, please let me know. Thanks! (^.^)v

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**Chapter Two**

Gui didn't know what to think as Lolidragon passionately kissed Prince before his eyes. "Hey!" he yelled, rushing in. "What do you think you're doing to my Prince?"

Lolidragon broke the kiss as Prince shoved her harshly away. Prince glared at her and wiped the spittle off his lips.

"I'm claiming what's rightfully mine," Lolidragon stood tall and proud.

"The hell you are!" Prince screamed. "I said a little one!"

Gui suddenly turned pale. "Wait a second…you mean…"

"That's right," Lolidragon smirked triumphantly. "Yesterday you got drunk and made-out with Prince."

**~o~0~o~**

Professor Min logged off. He couldn't believe what he had done. He had forced himself upon the one he loved and didn't remember a damn thing. "How?" he murmured to himself. No wonder Prince hated him.

Min Gui Wen woke up doctor Li Tian Lang by calling him over the phone. "I have to do something about this. Something. Anything to make it better," he spoke frantically over the phone to his groggy, sleep-deprived friend.

"Then I suggest logging back in to Second Life," the doctor answered. "Prince was pretty upset about having two kisses stolen and now he's making a spectacle of himself at the bar."

**~o~0~o~**

Gui walked into the bar just in time to see Prince dancing on the countertops shouting loudly. "So who else wants to kiss me today? Hm, any takers?" The girls at the bar all squealed.

"Prince, get down from there. You're acting like an idiot," Wicked reprimanded. "No, he is not kissing any of you!" He added to the swarm of girls reaching for Prince's cape.

"_I_ am not an idiot," Prince swayed upon a barstool. He looked up catching Gui's horrified expression. "That man," he slurred as he pointed to Gui, "is the idiot."

Wicked saw Gui and frowned. "What are you doing here?"

Gui couldn't believe what he was seeing. His beloved Prince was, without a doubt, completely and utterly drunk. "How did you let him get like this?"

"I didn't let him!" Wicked argued. "He stormed off with Lolidragon and next thing I know he's at the bar. This is all your fault, Gui!"

"That's right," Prince chimed in drunkenly. "It's your fault." He smiled and hiccupped loudly.

"Oh for the love of-" Wicked shook his head. "We need to get you out of here."

"No!" Prince jumped off the barstool with amazing agility considering his current state of mind. "The bard and I have unfinished business. I'm challenging you to a fight, Guiliastes!"

The fan girls all screamed. A fight between two hot men. What more could they hope for? They silently prayed Prince's shirt would get ripped off during battle so they could see his glistening chest.

"I'm not fighting you!" Gui declared in outrage.

"Yes you will," Prince pointed a drunken finger in his face. He swayed slightly.

Gui glared at Prince. "No."

"Yes."

The girls all swooned at the determined look on the handsome Blood Elf's face.

"Prince," Wicked interjected. "I don't think this is a good idea."

Prince forced his eyes to focus on Wicked's face. Zhuo-gege was her friend. He was always looking out for her in real life too. "Fine. I'm going back to the castle. Don't follow me."

Prince stormed off. Wicked sighed. "Now Gui, don't you follow Prince-" Gui was gone again. "That sneaky bastard."

**~o~0~o~**

Gui found Prince in the courtyard staring solemnly at one spot on the wall. Prince was looking at the same place Gui had assaulted him the day before. The same place Lolidragon had coerced him into kissing her earlier that evening.

"Prince?"

Prince turned around at the sound of his name. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Gui walking towards him. "I thought I told you to stay the hell away from me."

Gui's voice caught at the terrible look Prince was giving him. "I…I just wanted to formally apologize for what I did before. I'm sorry. I don't even remember anything."

Prince was not thinking clearly. He had never drank so much in his life. Even the drunken night with Nan Gong Zui in Moon City couldn't compare. "How dare you think you can just log in and apologize for yesterday? How dare you do that when you don't even know what you did!"

"Prince…" Gui began. The Blood Elf was starting to turn maniacal. "I kissed you. I'm sorry."

"Kiss? _Kiss?_ That would be an understatement." Red eyes filled with fury and forced themselves to focus upon the fine features of the bard's face. Prince was starting to reach the anger levels that had so justly earned him the name _Blood Elf_. Fear-filled eyes met those of rage. Gui inhaled sharply as Prince grabbed him by the front of his shirt and slammed his body against the stone wall. "This right here is what you did last night."

Gui closed his eyes and blinked. _No no no! This could not be happening_._ How could I have done this?_ Was Prince really going to force him to go through everything leading up to that fateful kiss? He wished he hadn't been drunk last night. He had wanted his first kiss with Prince to be sweet and gentle. Not whatever it was he did last night. Gui shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut hoping for his lord to regain his senses.

Prince narrowed his eyes and continued, speaking with forced control. "You slammed me up against this stupid wall and next thing I know…"

And then he stopped.

Gui opened his eyes to see Prince staring morosely at the floor. His silver locks framed woeful eyes that looked lost, hurt, and confused. Gui's heart clenched. "Prince..." he whispered, reaching a shaky hand to the elf that had stolen his heart. "I'm sorry."

Prince flinched at the gesture causing the bard to quickly retract his hand. Gui felt like his heart was being stomped on, but he knew that after what he had done last night he completely deserved this.

"Gui?" He looked up at the quiet sound of Prince saying his name and immediately felt himself get lost in that too-handsome face. Prince looked like a peculiar and rather insane thought had just crossed his mind. And that's when Gui realized that they were still standing extremely close to each other. Far too close. And Prince was beginning to lean in towards him. What was happening? Was this part of the re-enactment? Gui didn't know. He could barely breathe. His heart was racing as he closed his eyes in anticipation, silently hoping for the elf's lips to touch his own.

Prince's breath so close to his face was making him go crazy. Gui finally opened his eyes to see the blood-red eyes of the elf only millimeters away. "Prince?"

"I wish you were straight," Prince muttered before passing out into Guiliastes' arms.

**~o~0~o~**

Professor Min woke up after Prince disappeared in his arms shortly afterward. "What the hell just happened?" Prince had passed out and then abruptly logged off. Professor Min looked at his alarm clock and swore. "I'm the teacher and I'm going be late for school!"

**~o~0~o~**

Professor Min ran into the classroom just as Feng Lan was running through the door. They collided in the doorframe and ended up in a heap on the floor. The entire class watched with baited breath as Professor Min opened his eyes to see Feng Lan lying on top of him, her face only centimeters away.

"Student Feng Lan!" he cried, shoving her away.

"Professor Min!" she exclaimed while simultaneously trying to scramble away.

Those wide eyes. That face. There was something oddly familiar about Feng Lan. He watched as her face began turning bright red.

"Sorry for running into you," she squeaked as she picked herself up and hurried to her desk.

"Likewise. Just remember to be on time from now on," Professor Min stood up casually and began brushing off little bits of dust from his suit coat.

"Yes, sir," Feng Lan sat down. She could still feel the rosy flush on her cheeks.

One of the girls behind her nudged her shoulder. "Feng Lan," she whispered. "You are so lucky. Professor Min is sooo hot."

"Ew, can you please not say that. She's my sister," Yang Ming interjected, overhearing. "Anyways, Professor Min likes Prince. Everyone knows he's Gui from the Odd Squad."

The same girl behind her gave a deep sigh. "Wouldn't it be amazing to be Prince and have a person like Professor Min falling all over you?"

Yang Ming snorted. "Yeah, sis, wouldn't it?"

"I'm sure it's not all it's cracked up to be," Feng Lan's voice broke slightly as she answered, earning an inquisitive stare from her brother. Thinking about the chain of events leading up to her last log-off made her shut her eyes in confusion over her own emotions and fury over her recent actions. Thank goodness for school. Her alarm clock had saved her from making possibly one of the worst decisions in the history of Second Life. There was no way she could ever let her character fall for that stupid bard.

She looked up as Professor Min began his lecture and glanced at the hoard of female classmates all staring hungrily at the back of his lapel as he wrote on the chalkboard. He turned around smiling brightly, apparently unaware of the pack of female students wanting to jump him. Feng Lan was so glad she did not look at Professor Min as they did. She scowled to herself while finally pulling out a pencil and notebook. Despite her triumph over escaping Gui this morning, for some reason, deep inside, she found herself wishing Professor Min would look at her, put two and two together, and realize that she was Prince. "This is _not_ good," she muttered to herself and turned her attention to the bane of her existence and the words spilling out of his mouth for lecture.

**~0~o~0~**

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A/N: Review? Plz? *hopeful look* The more you review the quicker I'll get the next chapter out. I swurr...

**Preview next chapter:**

_Feng Lan was outraged. How dare this man assume things about her character! Just because she got drunk one night and a stupid thought crossed her mind. The nerve! _

_"Because Prince would never look twice at someone as idiotic and perverse as you!" _

_Professor Min's face fell. The icy fire died in his eyes. _

_Feng Lan clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh no…please tell me I did not just say that out loud."_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: 1/2 Prince belongs to Yu Wo. I'm jealous!

A/N: A HUUGE thank you to everyone that has reviewed thus far! I can't even begin to tell you how happy reading a nice review is. And to those of you that added this to a story alert/fav list and didn't review, please please please let me know what you think of the story. Especially if you have any input on how to improve myself as an author. It would be greatly appreciated. :) I wanted to get this chapter out on Saturday before I left to go back to school, but alas, time was not in my favor. With that said, after a slight delay please enjoy the third chapter of _Stolen Kisses_.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Feng Lan stayed after school for a bit to wander around the school's courtyard and think. She liked courtyards. Usually. Except for now. She scowled thinking about everything that was happening in Second Life.

She couldn't believe that for even the slightest moment she had thought about kissing Gui. True, she was drunk and not thinking clearly. But she found herself getting lost in Professor Min's eyes this morning and that bothered her. She'd never realized how beautiful his blue eyes were until she had seen them up-close after running into him.

She blushed at the memory. _Damn him_.

"Wolf-ge!" Professor Min's voice broke through the garden.

_Uh-oh_, thought Feng Lan. She dove behind a bush just as the professor strode by. The doctor was sitting on the opposite side of some shrubbery. He shouldn't have seen her either.

"Gui," the doctor acknowledged his friend's approach. "What is it now?"

"Wolf-ge, everything's so confusing now," Professor Min whined in frustration as he sat down next to the doctor. "Prince was acting…very unusual last night."

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "Gui, Prince was drunk," he pointed out. "That's why he was making a fool of himself."

Gui shook his head. "No…that's not it." Li Tian Lang looked at Gui questioningly. "I…don't know if I should talk about this."

"You already made me come out to the courtyard. You might as well say it."

Professor Min looked beyond terrified. "But I'm not sure if what happened was real."

The doctor gave a deep sigh. "Gui, this is Second Life. Nothing is real."

"Not emotions, Wolf-ge. Those are real. You can't make those up."

"Alright, Gui. Just spill."

Professor Min looked around one more time to make sure no one was there. He took a deep breath. "Ok," he placed his hands on his knees in determination. Behind the bushes, Feng Lan listened to his every word. "I think Prince is starting to like me."

Feng Lan gasped loudly. The noise didn't go unnoticed by the two men.

"What was that?" Professor Min stood up alarmed.

"Shhh," the doctor raised a finger to his lips. "I think someone's in the courtyard with us."

Professor Min's face paled. Feng Lan tried her best not to move or make any noise. She couldn't be found yet. Not until she knew if Gui was going to tell the doctor exactly about what happened before Prince's last log-off.

"You better come out or you'll have a week's worth of detentions."

Feng Lan's knees shook from holding the position she was in. She screwed up her face in determination. No. She would not be found.

"Ah, student Feng Lan. What brings you behind these bushes?" Doctor Li Tian Lang smiled warmly as he held aside the shrubbery and exposed the hidden girl.

Feng Lan gaped. "I…uh…"

"You overheard our conversation," Professor Min appeared behind him. His blue eyes danced in icy fury. "Didn't you?"

"I…um…what conversation?" Feng Lan laughed weakly and scratched the back of her head. "I heard no conversation. There was no conversation. I remember no conversation. I was just taking…uh…my after school nap!"

"Behind the bushes?" Professor Min looked at her incredulously. The doctor tried to suppress a smirk.

"Mm-hm!" Feng Lan nodded vigorously to both men. "Boy do I just looooove my after school courtyard nap!"

"I think we should let her go," the doctor said.

"What? No!" Professor Min argued. "She's obviously lying. No one gets that excited about an afternoon nap."

"I do," Feng Lan muttered sullenly.

Tian Lang tried not to laugh. "Gui, she's harmless," he pointed out. "Even if she did hear anything, you didn't reveal anything earth-shattering. Isn't that right, Ms. Lan?"

Feng Lan was caught off-guard by the doctor's sudden address. "Uh, yes, of course. Right," she nodded.

"You've heard about Professor Min's character in Second Life. Am I correct?" the doctor questioned.

Feng Lan glanced over at the teacher. His blue eyes fixed harshly on hers. She gulped. "Yes, doctor."

"And you know about his character's infatuation with a certain famous player?"

Professor Min's eyes bore into hers like they were piercing through her soul. She couldn't seem to look away. "Y-Yes," she managed to swallow. "I'm sure most have."

"And do you think that famous character would ever give Professor Min the time of day?"

_Yes_. And then the reality of what the doctor just asked sunk in. "What? No!" Feng Lan tore her eyes away from Professor Min's and looked up at both men in outrage. "That's preposterous!"

"You seem very certain of this." Professor Min narrowed his eyes. "Why is that, Ms. Lan?"

Feng Lan was outraged. How dare this man assume things about her character! Just because she got drunk one night and a stupid thought crossed her mind. The nerve!

"Because Prince would never look twice at someone as idiotic and perverse as you!"

Professor Min's face fell. The icy fire died in his eyes.

Feng Lan clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh no…please tell me I did not just say that out loud."

"You most certainly did," the doctor frowned, glancing over at his friend's crestfallen face. "And you seemed quite sure of yourself too." Tian Lang fixed Feng Lan with an unnerving stare. She gulped. The way he talked was almost as if…

"Detention."

Feng Lan spun around. "What?"

Professor Min had regained his composure. "Feng Lan, I'm giving you one week of after school detention for your outburst."

"WHAT?"

"You'll start tomorrow."

Feng Lan shook her head. No, this could not be happening! She could not spend more time with Gui outside of game than she had to. She'd heard Professor Min was by no means an idiot. The man was rumored to have an IQ of 200. What if he started figuring things out? She glanced nervously at the doctor. He winked.

"Noooooo!" Feng Lan cried. "Please! Anything but detention! I'll do extra homework. I'll write an essay. Please don't make me stay after school with you." Tears began streaming down her face.

Professor Min smiled coldly. "I think after school detention is exactly what you deserve."

**~o~0~o~**

Prince logged into the game dejectedly. He did not want to talk to anyone. He especially did not want to see Gui.

"Zhuo-gege?" Prince rounded the corner to the kitchen and found his friend in the midst of eating. "Zhuo-gege?" Tears welled up in his eyes.

"Prince?" Wicked looked up and worry crossed his face at the sight of the distressed elf.

"Zhuo-gege!" Prince cried and managed to fling himself into Wicked's arms, causing the other boy to drop his food in the process.

Wicked held onto Prince in what he hoped was a comforting manner. He stroked the back of Prince's white hair as the elf sobbed into his chest. "Xiao Lan," he whispered quietly. "What's wrong?"

"I…I…" Prince began bawling loudly and buried himself deeper into the other boy's chest. Wicked raised his eyebrows in alarm. He didn't have much experience comforting women, much less comforting Prince who in all actuality was the girl he'd been crazy about for the past eight years.

"Shhh, shhh, its ok, calm down," he awkwardly patted Feng Lan's -Prince's- head. His heart wretched at the sight of seeing her avatar crying. He continued to just hold her and whisper soothingly in her ear, hoping that it was the right thing to do. _Please just stop crying_. _Seeing you cry destroys me_. Slowly Prince's breathing began to slow and he hiccupped slightly against Wicked's shoulder.

Wicked looked down to see blood red eyes, swollen from crying, staring up at him. He realized he'd never seen Prince looking so miserable and distraught. The elf could take on an entire army and fight until the brink of death, but deep down inside Prince was still just a nineteen-year-old girl. The sweet, adorable, determined Feng Lan.

"Zhuo-gege, I'm in a lot of trouble," Prince finally whispered. Wicked's eyes widened as he stared at the elf questioningly. Prince bit his lip causing Wicked's heart to skip a beat. He looked so _vulnerable_ right then. Despite Prince's character being a guy, Wicked still found himself oddly attracted to the person sitting in front of him. Scratch that. The person practically pressed up against his entire being looking at him like he was the savior to all her worldly problems. Add to the fact that this person was really Feng Lan and one might be able to understand why Zhuo Ling Bin was having a hard time breathing at this particular moment.

"I'm worried Gui is going to find out who I am in real life," Prince buried his face against Wicked's neck again. The words barely registered in Wicked's mind as he fought the prickling sensations that Prince's light breathing was having on his exposed flesh. But when they finally did he couldn't help but exclaim.

"What? How? _Why_?"

Tears began welling up in Prince's eyes again. "I have after-school detention with Professor Min for a week!" he wailed.

Wicked halted at the comment and heaved a sigh of relief. He couldn't help but crack a grin. "Really, is that all?" he chuckled quietly before roaring into all-out laughter. Here he'd been thinking something incredibly _awful_ had happened. Like Feng Lan's parents had been in some terrible accident or they'd lost control of the Infinite City…or the worst, they couldn't eat any more of that delicious cooked meat that Meatbun and Firephoenix could create.

Prince pulled back from Wicked and slapped him lightly on the chest. His red eyes scowled at the latter. "That's all?" he repeated angrily. "He's a super genius. He'll figure out who I am in no time!"

Wicked continued to laugh. "Oh, Xiao Lan," he grinned. "If he's such a super genius why hasn't he figured out yet that Prince has a number of girly mannerisms?"

Prince sputtered. "I…wha…aaggghh!" he screeched. "I do _not_ have girly mannerisms."

"Come on, Prince," Wicked continued teasing. "If he's so smart, he would have figured out it was you already."

Prince pouted and eyed his companion uncertainly. "But what if he…"

"Listen, really," Wicked stressed. "Just make sure you behave as you normally do in both worlds for the next week. As long as your actions remain normal, Min Gui Wen won't have any reason to suspect you." He shot the elf a dashing smile.

Prince finally laughed. "You're right!" he smiled and determination flashed in his eyes. "Operation Remain Normal is about to commence."

**~o~0~o~**

Gui eyed the giggling "couple" from afar. His eyes narrowed at the scene before him. At first he'd been incredibly worried about seeing Prince walk into the room bawling his eyes out. He'd never seen the elf act so helpless. And then to his horror Prince launched himself into Wicked's arms and practically meshed their bodies together. He wanted to be sick.

Worse yet was when Prince buried his face into the side of Wicked's neck. He could see Wicked's face begin to light up as a light blush stained his cheeks. Moments later, Wicked's face broke into a grin and he started laughing. Prince playfully punched him and in the end both parties looked extremely happy.

Gui could not hear a single word of their conversation, but he knew he absolutely did not like the scene that had just unfolded in front of him. This was all so wrong. Prince was supposed to be _his_. Prince was about to kiss _him_ the other day. Prince and him had _already_ kissed.

Feng Lan's voice echoed in his head from earlier in the day. _"Prince would never look twice at someone as idiotic and perverse as you."_ Jealously twanged through his heart as he watched Prince and Wicked happily chatting away.

**~0~o~0~**

* * *

A/N: See the little review button down there? *whispers* I think you should click it. （^。～）

**Preview next chapter:**

_Gui's eyes smoldered. It was like he was channeling the fire phoenix sitting on his shoulder. "I saw you earlier with Wicked," he spoke as if the words burned his throat. "You two looked rather…cozy."_

_Prince blinked. "I have no idea what you're- oh. Oooohhh." Prince's eyes widened in understanding. Then he started panicking. "Holy crap. What did you see? What did you hear?"_

_"I didn't hear anything," Gui crossed his arms and looked away, missing the immense look of relief that passed across the elf's face. "But you should really stop flirting around with every male player in the vicinity."_

_The restaurant-goers all gasped. The female players that had all just re-awoken abruptly fainted again. Prince gaped at the bard. He thought…_whaaat?


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: 1/2 Prince belongs to Yu Wo!

A/N: Waaaah! Thanks for all the reviews! I just about died at the amount of reviews coming in for the last chapter. Sorry I didn't get this up sooner. School started and then I had a root canal and was on vicodin for a few days (yaaaaay) and then I had to get re-caught up in schoolwork...and...well...enough explaining. Please enjoy chapter four of _Stolen Kisses_. (^-^)v

Special thanks to my new beta-reader **Astroelvengoddess**! You're awesome. :)

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Prince searched desperately around the castle. "Meatbun!" Where was that little bun of meat? He was stressed out and needed someone to comfort him. The talk with Zhuo-gege had helped immensely, but aside from Wicked, Prince didn't really feel like associating with any of the other players. Hence his—now turned—two hour search for his beloved pet. "Meatbun!"

Doll appeared out of nowhere, startling the handsome lord. "Is Prince looking for his meatbun?" she gazed at him questioningly. He blinked at her in surprise.

"Ah, Doll, yes I am. Have you seen him?" Prince scratched the back of his head, giving her a charming smile.

"No," Doll answered. "But Prince should really keep better track of his pets."

Prince frowned at her. "I'll keep looking."

"Wait," Doll halted him, one finger pressed to her lips in thought. "Now that I think about it, he might've been in the Infinite Café."

Prince hugged Doll. "You're a life-saver!"

"Anytime, Prince." She smiled as he ran down the corridor. Prince was a good lord and a good friend. You didn't often meet people as genuine and loyal as him. Prince didn't know it, but she'd seen him pass out in Gui's arms the previous night. The corners of her mouth turned down. She couldn't be certain, but from her vantage point it almost looked like Prince was about to kiss the older man. She was relieved when all Prince did was slump over and exit the game. "Please be careful, my lord," she whispered as his cloak whipped around the corner. "I don't think any of us can bear to have that innocent smile wiped off your face."

**~o~0~o~**

"Meatbun!" Prince exclaimed, rounding the corner into the Infinite Café, Yu Lian's newest money-making scheme. The several dozen restaurant-goers looked up at the sound of Prince's voice. Female players in the vicinity immediately fainted at the sight of Prince's undiluted, radiant smile upon finding his tiny pet. The NPC at the counter merely sighed as a female customer fell head first into her bowl of soup. Neither Prince nor Meatbun noticed.

"Mama!" Meatbun cried, jumping into Prince's awaiting arms. "You're home!"

"Meatbun, I've been looking all over for you!" Prince crushed the tiny meat bun to his chest. Meatbun squee-ed in delight. How was it possible for one tiny globular figure to be so cute? Prince didn't know and frankly he didn't care. All he wanted to do was lock himself up in his room away from all his problems and snuggle with the tiny creature. "You look well-fed," Prince noted, as Meatbun hopped atop his head and began bouncing. "How many meat buns did you eat?"

"Fifty!"

Prince sweat dropped as he turned to see the weary look on the cook NPC's face. "Meatbun…"

"And Meatbun also played with Firebirdy!" Meatbun shouted merrily.

"Firebirdy?" Prince took a sharp intake of breath. "Then that must mean…"

"Hello, Prince," Gui's voice cut through the air. It sounded cold…and angry.

"Gui!" Prince spun around, flailing his arms and nearly causing Meatbun to fall off his head. "Eh? What are you doing here?"

Gui's eyes narrowed. "I could ask you the same." He glanced over Prince's shoulder. "Where is Wicked?"

Prince looked confused. What kind of question was that? And why was Gui acting like this? It was quite uncharacteristic of him. Despite Prince wanting to ask these questions, for some reason the only word able to come out of his mouth was, "Huh?"

Gui's eyes smoldered. It was like he was channeling the fire phoenix sitting on his shoulder. "I saw you earlier with Wicked," he spoke as if the words burned his throat. "You two looked rather…_cozy_."

Prince blinked. "I have no idea what you're- oh. Oooohhh." Prince's eyes widened in understanding. Then he started panicking. "Holy crap. What did you see? What did you _hear_?"

"I didn't hear anything," Gui crossed his arms and looked away, missing the immense look of relief that passed across the elf's face. "But you should really stop flirting around with every male player in the vicinity."

The restaurant-goers gasped. The female players that had all just re-awoken abruptly fainted again. Prince gaped at the bard. He thought…_whaaat_?

Silence. Then…

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Prince doubled over laughing and pointed at the now-flustered bard. "I can't believe you seriously thought that's what was going on!" The elf was practically in tears from laughing so hard. "Is that what's got you all worked up right now, Guilliastes?"

Gui flushed deeply from his ears to his toes. "I…what…er…of course not!" he muttered sullenly, though he was secretly pleased he had misread the situation. The sound of Prince's laughter was like music to his ears. It was hard not to smile despite his deep embarrassment.

Meatbun jumped up and down. "Mama doesn't like Wicked like that, silly!" Even Firephoenix cooed in amusement.

"What is going on in here?" Yu Lian ran in, taking note of all the passed-out female customers. She caught sight of Prince's glowing face and immediately put two and two together. "Your highness!" she shrieked.

Prince whirled around, laughter cut short. "Yu Lian?" he grimaced as the anger levels rose on her face. "I swear I didn't do anything."

"Except make the entire female population faint at the sight of you!" She thrust his masquerade mask into his arms. "Put this on."

Prince glanced around the room, noticing for the first time the amount of players slumped over in their seats with little hearts swirling in their eyes. "Oh…" Gui had to stifle the chuckle rising in his throat.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Prince?" Yu Lian glared at the lord's crestfallen face with her hands on her hips. That lady was really too scary when it came to business. Prince gulped.

"It wasn't me?" he tried weakly.

"Nice try. You're just lucky that-"

"Yu Lian!" Ugly Wolf's stern voice rose over the commotion of Prince being scolded by the gorgeous mage. Yu Lian turned around at her husband's voice. Her face crinkled up.

"But sweetheart, he-"

"Has a lot on his mind," Ugly Wolf finished and gave Prince a very pointed look. "Don't you, _Prince_?"

Prince's eyes widened. "Um…" he gulped. Surely Wolf-dage couldn't have figured it out? That time the doctor had looked at her in the garden had to be a fluke, right? Prince swallowed nervously.

"What's going on here?" Gui interjected, looking wildly between Ugly Wolf and Prince and trying to understand their stare-down. "Is there something I should know?"

Prince shook his head. "No, absolutely nothing. I have to go." He grabbed Meatbun and swept towards the door. Gui grabbed his arm.

"Wait!"

Prince shook him off, ignoring him completely. "I'm afraid I won't be around much the next couple days," he spoke, looking past Gui to Ugly Wolf and Yu Lian. "I've got stuff I need to attend to in the real world. I'll be logging in late for a while." He turned.

"I know." Ugly Wolf's voice sounded extremely loud in the silence, causing Prince to halt.

The Blood Elf paled. "Of course you do," he muttered and then forced himself to speak a little louder, "Take care while I'm gone!" Before anyone could say anything else, he dashed out of sight taking a squealing Meatbun with him.

Gui turned around to look at his hairy friend. "Wolf-ge, what's going on?"

Ugly Wolf shook his head. Yu Lian looked on in confusion too. "I wish I could tell you both. But you'll just have to figure it out on your own."

"Wolf-ge…"

His friend stopped. "Gui," he spoke quietly. "I hope you make it through this next week." And with that, Ugly Wolf turned with Yu Lian in hand, leaving the bard in complete and utter confusion.

**~o~0~o~**

Day One of Detention. Day One of _Doom_.

Perhaps that was a bit melodramatic. But Feng Lan couldn't think of anything more sinister than having to spend an extra hour with Min Gui Wen. She rapped her fingers against the desk nervously while Professor Min poured over her class' essays from last week. "Will you please stop that incessant drumming?" He spoke slowly and deliberately while giving her a fierce look. "I'm trying to grade papers."

Feng Lan bit her lip and obediently put her hands in her lap. "Sorry, Professor," she mumbled.

So far it had gone well. Professor Min hadn't really paid her much attention. He spent most of his time running his hands through his hair and sighing loudly while marking papers. Feng Lan didn't really have anything else to do except stare around the room. Inevitably staring around the room would result in staring at Professor Min because she couldn't do anything except remain in her seat. Thus, she'd had plenty of time to examine him thoroughly.

He was rather _cute_, she forced herself to admit. His brows periodically furrowed up in confusion. Sometimes he'd have to re-read a sentence twice. She hoped her essay wouldn't make him frown in disdain like so many others did. Their topic had been quite difficult and she'd spent countless hours in the library researching for it. Professor Min was a genius, and he seemed to expect his students to achieve high marks as well.

"Feng Lan." His voice broke her out of her quiet daydreaming.

"Hm?" She looked up. The professor fixed his unnerving gaze on her. She could feel herself start to flush again.

"Your hour's up. You can leave now."

"It is?" Feng Lan glanced at the clock. Sure enough, one hour had gone by in no time. She smiled to herself as she picked up her satchel to leave. If every day was like this, this detention would be a piece of cake. "Right, Professor. See you tomorrow!" She practically bounced out the door.

He watched her retreating figure and forced himself to look back at the massive pile of essays strewn across his desk. He heaved a heavy sigh as he picked up another one. "It's not like I have anything better to do," he muttered. With Prince not logging into the game right away, he didn't have anything to rush home to. He couldn't shake the feeling that Ugly Wolf was hiding something from him. That man _knew_ what Prince was up to. Gui concluded he might even know who Prince was. Why his friend wouldn't tell him was the greatest mystery. He swore under his breath as he eyed the next essay in fierce determination. "I will figure out who you are, Prince. Mark my word."

**~0~o~0~**

* * *

A/N: Still not entirely finished with the next chapter yet. But here is a taste of what you can look forward to. Now back to my homework (and trust me, I'd _much_ rather be working on this story than reading about illocutionary acts. Yeah, say that three times fast).

**Preview next chapter:**

_Feng Lan's eyes narrowed. Oops. Had he said that out loud? And why was she glaring at him? Come to think of it, why did the thought of him with Prince make her so upset? He smirked as the pieces fell into place. She must have a crush on his handsome little elf. But unlike Gui, he knew she'd never have a chance._

_"Why are you so obsessed with him?" she finally asked, confirming (for Gui) her unrequited love with the elf. _

_Professor Min snorted. He didn't have time to deal with the emotions of this silly, immature teenage girl with her superficial schoolgirl crush on the man he loved. He smirked wickedly in the hopes that his mere happiness irked her. The corners of his mouth twitched up in amusement as he saw her scowl deepen. "Why is anyone?" he retorted._


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Alas, 1/2 Prince still belongs to Yu Wo.

A/N: I cannot even begin to express my gratitude and astonishment for all the reviews I've received in support of this story! Thank you all so much! I apologize that it's taken me forever to write this chapter. With school ending in one month I should be able to update more regularly come May, though I hope to get chapter six out before then. Special thanks to my beta-reader, **Astroelvengoddess**, for editing this and turning it back to me in record time. Without further ado, please enjoy chapter five of _Stolen Kisses_!

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Prince blinked wildly at the scene before him. What on earth had happened during his absence? He closed his eyes and began counting, hoping that when he opened them everything would be back to normal. 1…2…

Wu Qing's voice gave a strangled cry as he went sailing through the air causing Prince to open his eyes prematurely in astonishment. Kenshin narrowed his eyes as his body stood poised for another attack. Fairsky stood crying on the sidelines with Doll who was in hysterics holding a screaming Meatbun. Yu Lian and Ugly Wolf yelled for everyone to regain their senses. All the while, Lolidragon stood cackling in delight as Sunshine sent another punch towards Yun's face. In the meantime, Gui lay passed out on the floor, Rose hovering over him with a worried expression. For some reason the last part caused a surge of something strangely akin to jealously to bubble up inside Prince's chest. Prince quickly tried to quell the feeling, passing it off as mere irritation that someone besides himself had knocked the bard senseless.

He sighed heavily as Wicked began running into battle. Why was he here again? He really should be at home studying for that upcoming English exam, but for some reason instead he was here in Second Life, playing lord like it was his birthright. As Wicked took a hit to the gut with a loud 'oof', the elf decided he really didn't want to know what was going on. He turned to make a quiet escape.

"Mama!" shouted a very familiar voice that quickly ended all hopes of escaping. Everyone finally looked up to see the arrival of their lord.

"Prince!" several voices exclaimed at once. Prince opened his mouth to ask what on earth was going on, yet an onslaught of voices interrupted before he could even begin.

"PRINCE! DID YOU SEE WHAT HE—"

"Fairsky just wanted to—"

"Kenshin didn't know—"

"—HE STARTED IT!"

"Maaamaaa!"

He rubbed his forehead in frustration. He was slowly beginning to realize there was never a dull moment in Second Life. Yun staggered towards him and began bleeding profusely out his nose over Prince's shiny silver armor. Prince tried not to look disgusted. After all, Sunshine had probably broken his friend's nose. Wu Qing suddenly collapsed at Prince's feet. Kenshin stood to the side looking rather pleased with himself. Fairsky launched herself at a rather bewildered-looking Sunshine.

"Do I even want to know?" Prince ventured half-heartedly.

"Um…" Yu Lian began.

"No," Wicked grunted, picking himself off the ground. His eyes turned to one very tired and confused elf. His lips quirked up in a half-smile. "Shame you didn't arrive sooner. You could've gotten in on the action."

Prince laughed. "As if I'd be stupid enough to even consider taking Kenshin and Sunshine." He glanced over at his NPC pets. Kenshin wore a smug expression on his face from the compliment Prince had thrown him. Sunshine was too oblivious to the conversation as Fairsky stood fawning over him, making sure he wasn't hurt anywhere. The NPC's face turned the slightest shade of red at her close proximity. Prince thought the scene was rather cute.

"Prince…" a low moan from the side sent shivers up and down the elf's spine in an oddly pleasant way. Prince shook the disturbing thoughts from his mind as he turned towards the slowly awakening bard. Rose still leaned far too close to the bard as she pressed a cool hand to his forehead. Prince scowled, just slightly, at the action. _After all_, he rationalized, _no one was supposed to maim Gui aside from him, right?_

"Prince?" Doll looked up at him inquisitively.

The elf shook his head to bring himself back to the present. "What's his deal?" he threw a sharp glare towards Gui, who was still laying spread-eagle on the ground.

Yun blubbered against Prince's shoulder in response as blood continued to pour from his nose. Yu Lian ran in with a handkerchief before Prince could say anything and said, "Let me take care of him and I'll let Ugly Wolf explain everything." Yun threw Prince a meaningful look as Yu Lian dragged him towards the infirmary. Doll helped a dazed Wu Qing to his feet and did likewise.

Prince turned to Wicked. He winced at the large purple bruise slowly forming around the latter's right eye. He reached out gingerly to touch it. "Do you need to go to the infirmary too?" Prince whispered quietly with concern. Wicked's face instantly flushed.

Ugly Wolf cleared his throat. "Your highness," he began. "I can explain."

"Oh! You shouldn't sit up yet!" Rose suddenly exclaimed before Ugly Wolf could continue. The remaining members of the group turned to see Gui struggling to get up. His dazed eyes focused immediately on the Blood Elf and a look of immense relief and calm spread across his face.

"You're here," he breathed, sounding oddly surprised. A million thoughts ran through Gui's head as he faced Prince. The boy glared furiously at him, no doubt still upset from the bard's drunken mistake three days prior. But the events of two nights ago plagued his brain and he'd been wanting to talk to Prince about it ever since. He had to know what the boy was thinking or if he was even coherent during their almost-tryst after Prince left the bar, but Gui had stupidly gotten jealous and jumped to conclusions upon finding Prince with Wicked yesterday. In his jealousy, he'd completely forgotten his dire need to talk to the elf until it was too late and Prince had fled from the Infinite Café with Meatbun in tow.

Prince shifted uncomfortably as Gui continued to stare at him like the elf was his sole reason for existing. "Would you quit looking at me?"

Gui was surprised at the huskiness of his voice as he croaked out, "I need to talk to you about the other night. After you left the bar…"

Prince's eyes widened as the other players suddenly looked on curiously. "There's nothing to talk about!" Prince argued forcibly. The slightest blush tinged the tips of his pointed ears.

"But I –"

"_Nothing_. To. Talk. About." Prince reiterated through gritted teeth and glared as if daring the bard to say another word.

Rose glanced between the two wildly. Lolidragon's eyes twinkled. Wicked stupidly opened his mouth. "Are you still trying to apologize to Prince for three nights ago?" He glared at the bard.

Gui recognized Wicked as his rival. Even if Prince had said yesterday that there was nothing between the two, Gui knew the dark elf harbored feelings for the former. It was why Gui was always goading the other. And he knew it was why Wicked had always been less than cordial to him. "No," Gui grinned cheekily.

"I'm leaving," Prince announced abruptly. Gui tried sitting up even farther and winced. No, he absolutely needed to talk to Prince!

"Your highness!"

"Rose," Prince ordered as the girl snapped to attention. "Take Gui to the infirmary. Lolidragon, where's the nearest place I can find mobs to level up on? I have an overwhelming urge to create a bloody massacre."

Lolidragon's eyes gleamed. "The ice caves three hours north of here."

"Perfect." Prince's eyes turned an even deeper shade of crimson red. "Lolidragon, Kenshin, and Sunshine, you'll come with me. I'll need Wicked and Ugly Wolf to stay behind in case something happens to the city. Fairsky, take care of Meatbun." The last girl looked oddly startled as Meatbun leapt to his temporary caretaker.

"Sunshine…" she shot the NPC an anxious look.

Prince noted the exchange. "Sunshine, if you want to stay behind with Fairsky you are welcome to do so."

Kenshin gave a smooth smile. "I can handle the group if we get into any trouble."

"Your highness!" the bard interrupted. How could Prince just walk away?

"Gui," the elf hissed. "I already said I don't want to talk to you." And with that, Prince abruptly stomped away without even a second glance at the utterly devastated look on the handsome bard's face.

**~o~0~o~**

Prince, Kenshin, and Lolidragon marched down the road. They could have been there already had they chosen to take Sunshine's flying carpet. Lolidragon, however, noted the satisfaction Prince seemed to gain from trying to murder the earth with his feet. She smirked wickedly at the events unfurling recently and the exchange now occurring between Gui and Prince. She was more perceptive than she lead others to believe. After all, this was the mark of a good thief.

"Quite the handsome catch, isn't he?" Lolidragon leaned over to whisper in Prince's ear.

Lolidragon did not miss the brilliant flush spreading over the back of the elf's neck. "I have _no_ idea what you're talking about."

"And the way that Rose was practically hanging off him today! You should've seen –"

"Can we please not talk about this?"

Lolidragon pouted. Kenshin made no acknowledgement of the entire conversation except to keep walking forward.

Lolidragon heaved a sigh. "Prince, you're no fun," she whined and continued to press the issue. "You've got one of the world's hottest males at your beck and call and you enjoy nothing more than pummeling him to the ground. One would almost think you were a boy in real life."

Kenshin raised his eyebrows slightly at the last statement. Not that Prince's true gender mattered or anything…

"Don't say that!" Prince nearly yelled. "Someone might overhear!"

Lolidragon waved it off. "There's no one around. As a GM, I'm equipped with a sensor showing players in my vicinity."

Prince's mouth dropped. "You…You…that's cheating!" Prince accused.

"It is not." Lolidragon seemed the slightest bit offended.

"And you didn't have to make me kiss you, you know," Prince muttered sullenly. At this, Kenshin's eyebrows nearly reached his hairline. "Since you know I'm a girl and all."

Lolidragon grinned wickedly. "How could I pass up the opportunity?"

Prince glared.

"Anyways," the voluptuous beauty continued. "I've noticed there's something going on between you and Gui."

Prince gaped. "There is not!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Lolidragon teased. "Or were you really not jealous at Rose's attentiveness to our fallen bard?"

Prince had the grace to look embarrassed. "No one should maim that idiot except for me." The excuse sounded so weak that even Prince had a hard time believing it.

"Tell me, Prince," Lolidragon smirked. "Is Gui as handsome in real life? It would certainly explain your awkwardness in recent days."

Prince glared. "Why is it so hard to believe that I harbor nothing but resentment for that idiot? And how would I even know what Gui looks like in real life?"

Lolidragon grinned from ear to ear. "When Gui logged in I overheard him complaining to Ugly Wolf about the _terrible_ female student serving detention with him this week, making him late to the game. What a coincidence that this week you'll also be logging in late as well."

"It _is_ a coincidence."

"You never answered if Gui was handsome in real life."

Prince shut his mouth. Lolidragon took the extended silence as a definite 'yes.'

**~o~0~o~**

Detention. Day Two.

Professor Min glanced at the clock. He idly wondered what Prince was doing that made him so late for the game this week. His late arrival yesterday had resulted in a nearly all-out brawl amongst the Odd Squad. Gui never realized how integral Prince was to the cohesiveness of their group until his recent absence. Prince not being around also made him…rather twitchy. He couldn't seem to focus. All day his mind had been wandering. He so desperately needed to talk to Prince, but the boy had left him devastated after refusing to talk and leaving for the ice caves with Lolidragon and Kenshin. He sighed heavily, wishing he could see Prince's radiant smile again.

He slowly turned his eyes back towards the girl currently writing out her punishment essay on why a student should not talk back to the professor. He watched her eyebrows scrunch up in concentration as her pencil whipped back and forth across the paper. With one last flourish of her pencil, she heaved an immense sigh and held the paper out in front of her to begin skimming over her draft.

Professor Min looked at the clock again. Only 30 minutes had gone by since handing her the assignment. He waited another fifteen before she began squirming in her seat, essay clearly finished, proof-read, and edited. He closed his eyes. Only fifteen more minutes to freedom.

"Um, Professor?" Feng Lan's voice broke the silence.

"What?" Professor Min glanced at the clock _again_. He tapped his foot impatiently. He just wanted to get home. He wanted to see if Prince was back at the Infinite City.

"I'm…erm…finished with the assignment."

The professor frowned. Why was he here with this girl again? Oh yes, right. Because she smashed all his happy dreams of being with Prince. Idiot girl. He scowled. Every moment here was a moment lost with Prince. Not that he could be sure that Prince was even logged in yet or, furthermore, back from the ice caves. And now that he thought about it he _really_ needed to talk to Ugly Wolf about Prince's whereabouts. He swore to himself he'd try his best not to meddle in Prince's personal affairs but he was getting too curious. He was falling too much in love. He needed to be by Prince. He _needed_ Prince.

"You still have fifteen more minutes of detention!" Professor Min snapped in a voice much harsher than intended.

Feng Lan made a surprised 'o' with her mouth which quickly changed into a scowl before glaring furiously at a spot on her desk. She could tell Professor Min didn't want to be here as much as she didn't. But he was the one that assigned this stupid detention in the first place! She was supposed to be the angry one, not him!

She mumbled something under her breath that sounded oddly like, "Damn Guilliastes."

"Did you say something, Feng Lan?" the professor asked coolly. His patience was running thin. This was stupid. He shouldn't be feeling this irritated. It didn't help that he felt so anxious all the time about not being able to see Prince as much as before. He half-heartedly wished he'd never gotten drunk and kissed the gorgeous elf. That one kiss changed everything. He was so confused. And Prince refused to talk about anything.

Feng Lan mumbled again.

"What was that?"

"Just wishing I was home, Professor," Feng Lan said a little louder.

"Likewise," Professor Min muttered under his breath. He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. "I have better things I could be doing in my spare time." _Like romancing Prince_.

Feng Lan's eyes narrowed. Oops. Had he said that last part out loud? And why was she glaring at him? Come to think of it, why did the thought of him with Prince make her so upset? He smirked as the pieces fell into place. She must have a _crush_ on his handsome little elf. But unlike Gui, he knew she'd never have a chance.

"Why are you so obsessed with him?" she finally asked, confirming (for Gui) her unrequited love with the elf.

Professor Min snorted. He didn't have time to deal with the emotions of this silly, immature teenage girl with her superficial schoolgirl crush on the man he loved. He smirked wickedly in the hopes that his mere happiness irked her. The corners of his mouth twitched up in amusement as he saw her scowl deepen. "Why is anyone?" he retorted.

"Because he's handsome," Feng Lan replied without missing a beat.

Professor Min shook his head and wagged a finger at her. "That might be why _you're_ obsessed with him," he corrected her, causing Feng Lan's mouth to fall open in complete and utter astonishment. "But I love him for who he really is."

Feng Lan scoffed. "_You_ don't even know who he is!" she replied. "No one does."

"Minor technicality," he responded with a slight wave of his hand in an attempt to not let the girl know how much her statement bothered him.

Feng Lan threw him a disgusted look. "Prince would—"

"Oh yeah?" the professor cut her off. "What about Prince? You don't know him. You probably wish you only knew him like I do."

To his astonishment, Feng Lan burst into laughter. "You're insane," she smiled.

"No," Professor Min smirked as he glanced at the clock one final time. "I'm a genius. And as much as I'd love to continue our delightful conversation, I have more important things to do than inconveniencing myself with your detention. Your time is up so you may leave."

He sighed happily as Feng Lan gave an irritated sort of shriek as she snatched up her satchel and stormed out the door. For a moment there Gui swore she could have been Prince. Her face contorted in the same way the elf's did when he was upset. Professor Min shook his head. He was seeing that boy everywhere. Now he _knew_ he was thinking about the elf too much. He gathered up the rest of his belongings and plastered a silly smile on his face. Just a short trip home and he'd hopefully be running into the arms of his beloved Prince.

**~0~o~0~**

* * *

A/N: Now that you've read, please review! ^^

**Preview next chapter:**

_Feng Lan blanched. "He is _not_ my bard," she immediately corrected. Jing looked at her expectantly waiting for her friend to get the message. It took a moment, but Feng Lan finally gasped. "Wait a second. You mean that fight yesterday was about me? That doesn't make any sense! Gui _loves_ Prince! Why would he say anything bad about him?"_

_"Prince?" Jing looked confused. "Who said this was about Prince? Yun was defending _your_ honor." _

...Just in case you were worried you wouldn't find out what all the commotion was about. A confrontation between Prince and Ugly Wolf is also in the works. ;)_  
_


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own it. 1/2 Prince belongs to Yu Wo.

A/N: First, I'd like to thank two of my reviewers (evilcookie and Lightning Blade - both from reviewing earlier chapters than the last) for pointing out my misuse of Chinese surnames. I've finally gotten around to editing these mistakes as well as a few other errors from previous chapters. I re-read a good portion of the 1/2 Prince novel over the weekend to make sure I have everyone's names right and I corrected any inconsistencies so that they align with the 1/2 Prince novel translations. So "Yulian" is now "Yu Lian," and "Feng Yang" has been corrected to "Yang Ming." Sorry about the previous mistakes! If you find any more mistakes or spot any spelling/grammar errors in this story (or in any of my others), please let me know and I'll make sure to fix them. :)

Thanks again for all the reviews and to my lovely beta-reader, **Astroelvengoddess**. Please enjoy chapter six of _Stolen Kisses_!

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**Chapter Six**

Prince loved the feel of warm blood splattering against his face and the fluidity of his body as he danced around his attackers. With a maniac grin, he thrust his black dao into the last snow demon, relishing the spray of blood that spurted from the creature's mouth. He was in his element – one that consisted perfectly of ice, fear, anguish, and the dying warmth of freezing blood.

Lolidragon wiped her hand against a sweating brow. "Had your fill yet, Prince?" she asked excitedly.

"No," Prince answered.

"I was hoping you'd say that," the hidden GM grinned as she took a swig of health potion. "Kenshin, you ready?"

"Hn," the NPC acknowledged as the group made their way further into the icy caverns.

**~o~0~o~**

Feng Lan entered the university early with the hopes that if she began her homework in the library now, she'd be able to log into the game sooner that evening. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. After detention yesterday she'd promptly shut herself inside her room, refusing to answer Yang Ming's calls outside her door until her homework was finished. By the time she was done she was so exhausted that she'd immediately put on her gaming helmet to relieve her stress by killing mobs in the ice caves with Lolidragon and Kenshin. Wu Qing was not pleased and had immediately PMed her upon realizing she was already in Second Life. He was probably just upset about having to make dinner for himself last night. With a smirk of satisfaction she'd blocked all PMs from Wu Qing and anyone else left behind at the Infinite City. She could only imagine the look on his face when he realized she wasn't home to cook breakfast either. Stupid brother. It was about time he learned to cook for himself!

Her train of thought was interrupted with the sudden appearance of Lu Jing, who was glaring at Feng Lan rather crossly. "Where have you been, Feng Lan?" Jing demanded. "Yu Lian showed up in the infirmary yesterday with Yun and he was a bloody mess. After Yu Lian left he said the stupidest thing about getting beat up for defending your honor."

_Huh? _Feng Lan scrunched her face up in confusion. "Whaaat?"

"Yes!" Jing exclaimed. "He kept going on about some fight with Gui and then you storming off to the ice caves." She shuddered. "I hope you come back soon. Your bard is going crazy without you."

Feng Lan blanched. "He is _not_ my bard," she immediately corrected. Jing looked at her expectantly waiting for her friend to get the message. It took a moment, but Feng Lan finally gasped. "Wait a second. You mean that fight yesterday was about _me?_ That doesn't make any sense! Gui _loves_ Prince! Why would he say anything bad about him?"

"Prince?" Jing looked confused. "Who said this was about Prince? Yun was defending _your_ honor." She gave the brunette a pointed look.

"I don't understand…" she trailed off as the conversation with Lolidragon the previous night suddenly came to mind.

"_When Gui logged in I overheard him complaining to Ugly Wolf about the _terrible_ female student serving detention with him this week, making him late to the game."_

Feng Lan's mouth dropped and her eyes narrowed. "That _idiot!_"

**~o~0~o~**

"I didn't know that you were the girl he was talking about at first," Yun Fei continued as the three sat around a table in the cafeteria. Feng Lan munched on a scone as Yun slurped down a healthy portion of his bitter melon bubble tea.

"Lan, you should have told us!" Jing reprimanded as she took a bite out of her pork bun.

Feng Lan frowned. "But you two were so busy with the Lit essay you hadn't even been logging into the game. I didn't want to bother you," the poor girl tried to explain.

"That doesn't matter!" Jing cried. Yun nodded in agreement.

"I…sorry," Feng Lan gave the most pathetic apology ever. "I've had a lot on my mind lately."

Her two friends looked at her in pity. Their impression of Professor Min had definitely dropped significantly. Yun sighed and continued, "Anyways, Gui was crying about not being able to see Prince and then he went off on how this student was the bane of his existence –"

"That jerk!" Feng Lan interrupted with a huff and crossed her arms.

"As soon as Wicked walked past and scoffed at Gui's words, I knew something was up. That's when Gui accidentally let your name slip and I punched him in the face."

"YOU DID WHAT?" The entire cafeteria went silent and stared at her loud outburst. Jing hid a giggle behind her hand as Feng Lan's ears turned bright red. "Er…um…carry on," she squeaked to no one in particular and attempted to hide behind her stack of course books.

As the cafeteria students went back to their conversations, Yun laughed and scratched the back of his head. "What would you have wanted me to do, Lan? Just sit by idly as he defamed your character?"

"Well…no," the girl admitted. She shook her head. "So then how did everyone else get involved?"

Yun grinned. "Oh, _that_," he looked like he could hardly contain himself. "You really haven't talked to your brother lately, have you?"

She shook her head. Oops. Maybe there was a reason behind his desperate need to talk to her. She could only imagine his frustration upon finding her empty bed this morning. He was probably storming to the university right now. "Why? What'd he do?" her curiosity was piqued.

"Well, you see," Yun started laughing. "He and Wicked both started yelling at Gui, and that's when Fairsky and Rose came and tried to calm everyone down. Only your brother was stupid enough to yell at Fairsky with Sunshine and Kenshin in the vicinity. Fairsky ran crying to Sunshine so, while he was occupied, Kenshin decided to teach your brother a lesson. We tried to stop him but that's when Sunshine decided to join the battle."

Feng Lan's eyes widened. "Seriously? That's what happened?"

Yun nodded. "I couldn't believe Gui would say that. It's like he's lost all composure without being able to see Prince as much."

"Prince's absence is turning Gui into the crankiest person ever. He even snapped at Doll last night," Jing added with concern. "I hope you return from the ice caves soon."

"Was Gui like this when you got stuck on the Eastern Continent?" Yun inquired.

Feng Lan shook her head as a shadow fell over the group.

Yun and Jing froze. The looks on their faces told her she did not want to turn around.

"Ms. Lan," Doctor Li Tian Lang's voice sounded stern. "You and I need to talk."

**~o~0~o~**

Feng Lan sat down on the school's uncomfortable infirmary bed. The doctor stared impassively at her. She gulped.

"Did something happen between you and Professor Min?"

The question took her by surprise. "Er, no," she finally ventured. "I mean, nothing aside from detention, but you already know about that. And…um…we argued a bit yesterday," she admitted, slightly embarrassed.

The doctor sighed. He pressed a hand to his temple and closed his eyes. "Let me rephrase," he began again. "What happened between Prince and Gui? One day he was convinced Prince was starting to like him. And then everything spiraled downward."

"I don't know what you're–"

"Feng Lan," the doctor interrupted. "I know you're Prince."

She promptly looked down and away. She'd been dodging the question hoping that what he'd said in-game was a fluke. A girl could hope, couldn't she? She fidgeted nervously under the doctor's intense scrutiny. She knew the doctor was Ugly Wolf, and never once had he been so stern with her. She didn't quite know what to say. And she dreaded the question she knew was coming.

"What happened?" he repeated. Feng Lan squeezed her eyes shut.

Feng Lan bit her lip. What _had_ happened? She wasn't even sure of it herself. She had been drunk and not thinking clearly. And despite the fact that she played Prince in Second Life, she was still just her nineteen-year-old, female self on the inside. Lolidragon was right. Professor Min – Gui – whichever way you looked at it, the man was handsome. She hadn't kissed him, but she'd definitely thought about it. And now all she could do was run away. He liked Prince after all, right? Not her. Not her real self. He'd basically said as much yesterday. At her look of utter confusion and despair, the doctor's face softened and he wrapped Feng Lan in a gentle embrace.

"I didn't do anything, Wolf-dage," he eventually heard her mumble.

He sighed. "You know you and Gui eventually have to talk."

"Idunwanna…"

One side of the doctor's mouth quirked up into a half-smile at her childish display. Oh, how those two idiots were suited for each other! "You say nothing happened, yet you're avoiding him. Moreover, he's turning into an irritable grouch without you around. For the sake of your team and for the city, at least be the Prince I know you to be and come back before we murder your poor bard."

Feng Lan abruptly pushed away from the older man. "He is _not_ my bard," she reiterated angrily. Why must everyone say he belongs to her now? She scowled furiously.

Li Tian Lang glanced at the clock in his office. "Oh, Ms. Lan, what time is your next lecture?"

Feng Lan looked at the clock and before the doctor could even blink the girl had dashed out of the clinic like a bat out of hell. "Noooooooo, I'm laaaaaate!" He chuckled to himself, watching as the last thing he saw was her hair whipping around the corner. Perhaps he would drop in on the girl's detention this evening. If Gui kept up his current antics, the poor guy would unwittingly kill all his chances of being with Prince. And he was quite sure that it was only a matter of time before the two idiots would have their happily ever after.

**~o~0~o~**

"You're late," Professor Min announced coldly as Feng Lan came racing through the door, huffing and puffing from running halfway across XXX University.

"Sorry," she just barely managed to pant out.

"Take your seat," the professor ordered without so much as a second glance towards her.

Jing and Yun both looked at her apologetically as Feng Lan dejectedly walked to her desk. Yang Ming, seeing his sister for the first time today, looked at her in alarm as she slumped down in her chair with tears of frustration in her eyes. _When did Second Life and her real life start getting so intertwined and complicated?_

"Sis," Yang Ming whispered. "I've been trying to talk to you since yesterday. It's about…"

"I know," Feng Lan cut him off. "Yun told me about the reason behind the fight."

"Sis…" Yang Ming looked at her downtrodden appearance. "I have no qualms with threatening Professor Min in real life as well. The way he's treating you just isn't fair."

"No, no," the girl objected. Since playing Second Life and creating Prince, Feng Lan had learned how liberating it felt to stand up for herself. The last thing she wanted was to have to rely on a man again to do her bidding. She forced a weak, but determined smile. "Don't worry. I can handle detention and Professor Min. And then I'll come back to the Infinite City and pummel Gui like I always do."

**~o~0~o~**

"You could always skip detention," Yang Ming offered loudly after class. He hoped it was loud enough for Professor Min to overhear.

Feng Lan shook her head. Operation Remain Normal had to proceed as planned. She would show up for detention and do whatever that idiotic teacher told her to do. In game, she would act Prince as usual. She couldn't afford to let herself slip on either side. Messing up in real life might result in further detention or in Gui figuring out her identity as Prince. Messing up in Second Life…well…that could be even more dangerous. Since meeting Guilliastes, she'd forced herself to quell the butterflies in her stomach when gazing upon his immaculate face. The knowledge that he was gay helped immensely. But then if he found out her true identity maybe he would finally leave Prince alone? The thought of losing Gui caused an ill feeling in the pit of her stomach. She must be turning as masochistic as Gui for enjoying the attention the man threw at her male counterpart while simultaneously hating every moment of it. She hated it with every fiber of her being. Yes? Right. Of course.

Wait. Why had she gone on this tangent again?

Argh.

"I have to go," Feng Lan spoke to Yang Ming, Jing, and Yun. "I just want to get this over with so I never have to worry about it again." She smiled and walked bravely into her third day of detention with Professor Min Gui Wen.

**~o~0~o~**

Fifteen minutes of silence had gone by. The professor had barely acknowledged her presence in the classroom at all. Feng Lan fiddled with her hair. The thought that Gui had been speaking ill about her in-game irked her to no end, but she really couldn't afford to talk back and receive any further punishment. She closed her eyes. Only four more days with this infernal, wretched man.

"Is there a reason you were late for class today, Ms. Lan?" Professor Min finally broke the silence. She looked up to meet eyes of icy flame. Her heart fluttered rapidly. Why did those eyes have to affect her so?

"Er…"

"I believe I can answer that question," a cool voice suddenly interrupted from the doorway.

The room's two occupants quickly looked over to the newcomer.

"Tian Lang!"

"Wolf-da…er…doctor!" Feng Lan blushed at her near screw-up. Fortunately, Professor Min seemed too surprised by the doctor's sudden appearance to have caught her mistake.

"What are you doing here?" Professor Min asked clearly startled.

Li Tian Lang glanced over at Feng Lan who refused to meet his gaze. He put on a smile as he turned towards Gui. "I came to apologize on behalf of Feng Lan. She was in the school clinic earlier today and my meticulous prodding caused her late arrival to class. I was worried you might be too harsh on her for it, so I thought I would come clarify."

Professor Min was clearly stunned at his friend's ability to predict his reactions and he turned a now softened face to Feng Lan. He might still be upset with her over her outburst from the days prior, but he wasn't so heartless as to rebuke her for being late because she was holed up in the school clinic. The disaster with Prince had added to his irritation in recent days, and he suddenly felt slightly ashamed at his treatment towards the student sitting before him. "Is this true?" he spoke softly, staring directly into her wide brown eyes for any sign of deception.

Those eyes. Feng Lan needed him to not look at her with that expression. It was penetrating and dizzying and altogether glorious. It was a look of apology and compassion and the first one she'd ever received from the man standing before her. That look should be a sin to create, and Feng Lan would come to think this of many of Gui's expressions during the coming days. But for now, this one particular look left Feng Lan quite speechless and she only nodded meekly in response.

"She had cramps."

Li Tiang Lang's voice sounded matter-of-factly, breaking the magical moment Feng Lan was experiencing. He fought hard to keep a straight face as out of the corner of his eye he saw the girl's mouth drop and her hands ball in fury at her sides. He wanted to laugh and could only imagine what the girl might do once they saw each other in-game again. In his own way, it was punishment for her trying to avoid discussion with him about the recent events in Second Life. "I was worried she might not have said anything due to her..._unfortunate_…reason for stopping by the clinic."

"Ah…" Professor Min's voice sounded strangled. "That explains….things."

Feng Lan glared at the doctor. _I'm going to kill you, Wolf-dage, when I see you again!_

The doctor, however, appeared completely unaffected by the girl's murderous intent. He continued smiling at Professor Min. "Well, now that that's all cleared up, I'll be taking my leave." Feng Lan thought he sounded overly cheerful about the entire situation.

"Oh, and Feng Lan," the doctor teased on his way out the door, "there's no need for you to look so embarrassed about the situation. It's quite a common monthly occurrence for girls your age."

Feng Lan's face turned beet red as the doctor swept out the door. She noted that Professor Min's ears had also turned the slightest shade of red. _Aaaahhh, Wolf-dage!_ She inwardly cried._ Why did you have to make this so awkward?_

Professor Min finally opened his mouth. "Sorry about your – womanly – problems," he blurted.

Feng Lan nearly howled in embarrassment. She squeaked and buried her face into the crook of her arms. Professor Min had the grace to flush and promptly hid himself behind the stack of essays piled on his desk.

And thus went day three of detention in which silence reigned due to high levels of embarrassment and sheer awkwardness where both sides were concerned.

Professor Min found himself leaving detention that evening without all of his waking thoughts consumed by Second Life and Prince for once. Instead, his thoughts were distracted by scenarios of how he was going to save face after his rude, blurted statement to his student, Feng Lan. Sitting with an angry student for a week was one thing. It was to be expected of detention. Sitting with an awkwardly blushing student that was too embarrassed to meet your gaze was another, and it made him feel entirely too self-conscious.

How odd for Gui to put on his gaming helmet with thoughts of Feng Lan still consuming his mind rather than images of his beloved, and undeniably attractive, Blood Elf. Yet how normal it was for all of these thoughts to go out the window the moment Prince returned, earlier than expected, to the Infinite City. Gui immediately leapt towards his beloved with a delighted cry and was promptly beaten into the ground by one internally confused, embarrassed, and angry elf. All was almost normal for the inhabitants of Second Life. Well, as normal and un-dramatic as life could be for the two most popular members of the Odd Squad.

**~0~o~0~**

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A/N: Thank you for reading! Don't forget to review. Unfortunately, I won't be able to post the next chapter until mid-May at the earliest since I'll soon be entering finals season for school. I wanted to get this chapter out before I got completely swamped with studying. And for all the other students out there, good luck with finals and end of semester papers!

Um...I haven't decided if this scene will make it to the final cut of the story and, if it does, it definitely won't be in the next chapter. But I figure since I won't be able to update for another month much less write anything other than term papers, why not give the readers something for the imagination? Sound good? Yes? Then please enjoy this extended teaser. \(^0^)/

**_Stolen Kisses_ teaser for later future chapter (this means this scene is NOT in the next chapter):  
*update - see chapter 11 for finished version of scene*  
**

_"Did I ever tell you I used to think Yang Ming was Prince? They certainly look very similar."_

_Feng Lan visibly paled at this. "Did you now?" she attempted a weak laugh. "You shouldn't tell him that. He'll get a big head thinking he's all handsome and stuff."_

_"Prince isn't just handsome," Professor Min shot her a heated look. "He's _beautiful_."_

_Feng Lan's breath caught in her throat. The way Professor Min was looking at her…it was the same look Gui had been shooting at Prince in recent days. She dropped one of the books she'd been holding. The soft 'thunk' it made upon hitting the carpet brought her back to her senses. She bent down quickly to grab it but the professor beat her to it. "Thank you," she whispered, as he handed the battered tome back to her. Her eyes were unable to break free of his burning stare and, as she straightened back up, she realized how much closer he had moved towards her. She could almost feel his breath on her face. She backed up a bit, feeling her shoulders hit the front of the bookcase. His arms resting against the bookshelf entrapped her on either side. "Professor?"_

_"You never told me your screen name, Feng Lan."_

_Both stared wide-eyed at each other. The silence was broken only by the sound of the clock ticking above the professor's desk._

_"Princ-" Professor Min heard her begin to squeak. His eyes widened. Really? It was really going to be all over just like that? "-ess Xiao Xiao." Feng Lan could hardly believe she'd managed to make sound come out of her mouth. She shut her eyes and repeated the fake name again. "Princess Xiao Xiao."_

_Professor Min raised an eyebrow. "Princess Xiao Xiao? That's the stupidest name I've ever heard."_

_Feng Lan scowled deeply. "Well so is Guilliastes!" she stated rather crossly, turning her head away and crossing her arms. _

_"I thought talking back to your teacher was what got you into this mess in the first place," he remarked coolly.  
_


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: 1/2 Prince belongs to Yu Wo.

A/N: For some reason, this chapter was incredibly hard to write. I'm pretty sure I rewrote it at least three different times. Thanks for everyone that reviewed and for your patience in waiting for this chapter. It was honestly the thing that kept me motivated to continue writing until it turned out the way I wanted. Extra special thanks to my beta-reader **Astroelvengoddess**. Your encouragement is always appreciated and well-received. Without further ado, please enjoy chapter seven of _Stolen Kisses!_ (^^)

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**Chapter Seven**

The last thing Lolidragon remembered before passing out was the curious sight of a furious Prince shaking in anger at a rather perturbed-looking Ugly Wolf.

Then the world went black. She vaguely remembered mumbling something before collapsing gracelessly to the floor. Something which embarrassingly sounded like an overly grateful, "We're home." But why would Lolidragon mumble such absurd things when a fight was brewing between Prince and the most pacifistic member of the Odd Squad? Surely she would have found the strength to pull through for the sight of such a great battle!

_****flashback****_

"Prince, is something wrong?" Lolidragon asked, sounding both genuinely concerned and slightly frightened.

The elf had logged into the game with eyes immediately gleaming in bloodlust. This was highly unusually, even for Prince.

However, the Blood Elf didn't seem to hear a word the hidden GM uttered. He merely spat out two words and glared at Lolidragon and Kenshin as if their lives depended on getting him to said destination. "Infinite City."

The trio spent the next hour killing mobs without break and making the lengthy trek back to the city in record time.

By the time they reached the shining white walls of the Infinite City, Lolidragon—not fueled by the anger Prince carried or having the fortune of being an NPC like Kenshin—was ready to collapse. Gui, with his sixth sense that seemed to always know when Prince was around, immediately greeted them at the gate to the Infinite City. In all reality, he'd been moping by the entryway in the hopes of Prince returning early. Upon seeing his companions he immediately brightened and leapt toward the arms of his beloved only to have his face characteristically smashed in by the furious Blood Elf.

Lolidragon was too tired, too frightened, and just too out of it to protest as Prince stalked to the inner walls of his castle. She and Kenshin followed mutely. Finally, when they opened the doors to the Infinite Hall and she caught sight of the rest of her companions, she let her tired body go. She was home.

_****end flashback****_

"_You."_ Prince seethed from the entrance to the Infinite Hall. Yu Lian, Ice Phoenix, White Bird, Doll, Wu Qing, Wicked, and Ugly Wolf all looked up from the meeting table at the arrival of Infinite City's liege lord. The cheers of delight at Prince's return were quickly quelled at the sight of intense anger on his handsome face. The room darkened as Prince glared with increasing intensity at one particular member of the group. They watched in horror as Lolidragon collapsed. Kenshin caught her right before she hit the ground.

"What happened?" Wu Qing exclaimed at the sight of Lolidragon.

"We spent the last hour journeying back from the ice caves," Kenshin replied blandly. He eyed Prince who was still holding his intense glaring contest with a certain hairy individual. "Because _someone_ just had to get back to the Infinite City immediately."

"The ice caves?" White Bird frowned. "Isn't that…"

"Usually a three hour trek," Ugly Wolf finished for her. "Longer if you include all the time it must have taken to defeat mobs on the way out." His eyes met Prince's look of fury. "When I asked you to come back I didn't mean for you to overstress your comrades."

Yu Lian's eyes widened as she turned to her husband. "Wolf, that's impossible! We all tried PMing Prince earlier and he'd blocked all our messages. How did you get through?"

Ugly Wolf looked at his wife sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Well…"

Doll suddenly gasped loudly, grasping the situation much faster than the others. "Does Wolf-gege know Prince-gege in real life?" she asked excitedly and looked between the two. Prince was still glaring. Ugly Wolf sweatdropped. "I want to know Prince in real life too!"

Ice Phoenix perked up at Doll's statement. "I'd like to know Prince in real life as well." She eyed the angry elf hungrily. Prince didn't seem to notice and, if he did, he didn't care. His mind was focused on one thing and one thing alone: revenge for Ugly Wolf's betrayal in real life.

He turned towards the beast man and raised a finger to point at him accusingly. "How could you do that to me, Wolf-dage?" Prince finally cried out in front of everyone. His finger and voice quivered in suppressed rage. Tears threatened to spill from his blood-red eyes.

Everyone turned to look at Ugly Wolf in shock, confusion, and anger. For the first time in his life, Ugly Wolf wished Prince didn't have the reputation and following that he did. Prince was known for being far scarier in death than he was in life because of the loyalty and vengeance he evoked from his followers. Ugly Wolf now, seemed to be on the receiving end of this deal. Prince was alive and well, but clearly distraught over earlier events.

With surprising calm despite the several sets of eyes glaring at him in a way that suggested he had just murdered a puppy, Ugly Wolf cleared his throat. "Perhaps there's a more appropriate venue for this conversation rather than in front of all the city's main officials?" he suggested.

Prince finally appeared to come to himself and his surroundings. He blinked rapidly as his anger abated and then flushed at his outburst. "Er…right." He took in the scene; Lolidragon passed out in Kenshin's arms, Kenshin glaring furiously in his direction, White Bird scrutinizing him in disapproval, and the rest looking angrily at Ugly Wolf.

It was at that moment that Gui finally entered the scene. He was still nursing his forehead from the unusually strong punch that Prince had thrown him at the city gates. He'd nearly been sent to the Rebirthing Point from that single hit alone. His head ached in confusion as he watched the scene play out before him.

"You hurt Prince," Doll's voice sounded wobbly as her tiny fists balled in anger.

"Now, Doll, we don't know the entire story," Yu Lian reprimanded, though she too cast a disapproving look in her husband's direction.

"Do we need to know the whole story?" Ice Phoenix smiled sadistically as a cloud of anger crackled above her head.

Ugly Wolf maintained his calm demeanor. "I believe that Prince and I can talk this out ourselves. Shall we go to a private room for this?" he turned jovially to the elf.

Prince blinked in surprise. "Uh…yeah…sure." On the inside he was starting to get nervous. Ugly Wolf seemed overly cheerful considering the situation. Shouldn't he be upset? Why wasn't he livid? You'd think someone storming halfway across the continent for a confrontation would elicit more of a fight-or-flight response from the person he'd fought so hard to see.

"Right. We'll be back," Ugly Wolf smiled as he grabbed Prince's hand to lead the stunned elf out the door.

"Wait, I want to be a part of this conversation too," Wicked declared before the two could leave.

"As do I." Wu Qing's eyes narrowed as he tried to understand the current situation between Prince and Ugly Wolf.

Prince looked annoyed. "Why are you two always butting in? I can handle this by myself. I'm not some helpless female. I'm a grown man!" Prince declared in outrage.

"Like hell you are!" Wu Qing rose to his feet.

"What on earth is going on?" Gui finally muttered weakly, announcing his presence in the room.

I…I…you!" Prince's ears turned pink at the bard's sudden appearance, especially since the latter didn't seem to be throwing himself at the former as was their usual mode of interaction. Now that his anger had abated somewhat, Prince's mind flowed with memories of earlier in the day. He was reminded of detention and embarrassment and of awkward glances and blushing faces. His face lit up entirely at Gui's look of confusion.

"Is something the matter?" Gui asked.

Without thinking, Prince 'eeped' and ran out the door. Everyone stood slack-jawed at the turn of events and at Prince's odd reaction. "What the…"

"Prince!" Wicked took off, following the elf through the large wooden doors. Gui couldn't give chase even if he wanted. His knees had gone weak at the sight of a blushing Prince. His head throbbed from confusion and the after effects of Prince's hit from earlier.

"Did Prince just look at Gui, squeak, and run away?" Lolidragon had finally revived, voicing what everyone had just witnessed but couldn't quite believe. The group nodded mutely in response. "Ah…just checking."

The room's inhabitants stood in complete silence trying to process everything that had just happened until the uncharacteristic chuckling of Ugly Wolf broke the silence.

"Wolf!" Yu Lian shrieked. "This is not the time for laughter."

"I know," Ugly Wolf wiped away some of the tears streaming from his eyes and into his fur. "It's just…this is the most unlikely turn of events."

Ugly Wolf continued chortling and refused to speak any more on the matter despite the howls of protest from everyone else in the room.

**~o~0~o~**

"Prince!" Wicked yelled as he chased the distraught elf. "PRINCE!"

The elf refused to turn around.

"**Xiao Lan."** He messaged her.

Slowly, finally, Prince came to a halt. He took in slow and shaky breaths as he turned around to face the brooding dark elf.

"Zhuo-gege," he breathed, looking uncertain and confused.

"What the hell just happened back there?" He asked sounding the slightest bit frustrated and angry. Prince yelling at Ugly Wolf was one thing, and Wicked was still processing the fact that the beast man had found out about Prince's true identity outside of the game. But when Prince noticeably turned cherry red and immediately became flustered at the sight of that stupid bard, Wicked had nearly lost it. He was having the hardest time maintaining his cool as he stood in front of Prince now demanding to know what was going on. He could see the hurt and confusion in Prince's eyes and his gaze softened the slightest.

Prince looked up at his friend and immediately everything that had happened throughout the day came pouring out of his mouth. Wicked stared on in amazement at Xiao Lan's story about the doctor and detention. He blushed the slightest as she retold the "Period Nightmare" story and the intense awkwardness that had followed.

However, in all of this, there was one thought that kept running through Wicked's mind. _She blushed in embarrassment. Not because she was falling for Gui._ He smiled at Prince as the elf finally finished his story, completely worn out from the amount of emotions he'd just experienced from telling his tale from start to finish.

Wicked reached out and crushed the smaller elf to his chest. "Zhuo-gege!" Prince's face lit up at the action.

"I'm so glad that's all that's going on," he sighed in relief.

"Zhuo-gege! Were you even listening to the words coming out of my mouth? How can you be so calm at a time like this?"

Wicked just continued to nestle his face even more against the soft, silky strands of Prince's white hair, causing the elf's face to turn—if possible—even pinker. "At least you won't have to deal with Gui in real life for a couple more days," he whispered contentedly.

"Ehhhh?" Prince looked up at Wicked, suddenly unfazed by their close proximity.

"It's the weekend. Today was Friday."

"EHHHH?"

Prince buried his head against Wicked's chest and let out the most pitiful moan of despair. How was he supposed to face Gui in-game during the coming days when their real-life interactions were left unresolved?

As if able to read her mind, Wicked reminded gently, "Don't forget about Operation Remain Normal."

"Right," Prince whispered with extreme uncertainty. "Operation Remain Normal." He had no idea how he was going to be able to portray anything near normal in front of Gui over the next two days. "I'm so screwed."

**~0~o~0~**

* * *

A/N: Please review! And...um...the project I'm working on with my advisor involves a business trip to Taiwan in about a week and a half. I'm so excited! If anyone knows more about the island, please by all means, send suggestions my way about places to visit or foods to eat. For the most part, the week I'm there is filled with meetings and working with one of the indigenous tribes in southern Taiwan. But we get one free day at the end of the week in Taipei. Aaaahhhhh! (ˆ◡ˆ)

I will make sure to get out at least one more chapter before I leave.

**Preview next chapter:**

_"Professor Min," Feng Lan nodded in response, sounding equally flustered. The events of last week raced through her mind. She stared wide-eyed, caught in the professor's gaze and wishing she could look anywhere but his perfect face._

_ "Your detention tonight," Professor Min breathed, "will be served in my private office. I just wanted to let you know."_

_"Ehhhh?"  
_


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: 1/2 Prince belongs to Yu Wo.

A/N: OMG, OVER 100 REVIEWS! *dies*

I LOVE YOU ALL! ^^

Never would I ever have dreamed that a story of mine would take off like this. I was going to give a special present to the 100th reviewer but I didn't think it would happen so soon and I don't have anything prepared. The 100th reviewer is **LarkasBlessing122291**. Any suggestions on a prize? Special scene request? Cookies? Hot, steamy Gui-Prince one-shot action?

Also, I sincerely apologize for not getting this out sooner and for the brevity of this chapter. I have a bit more free time since returning from Taiwan (which, btw, was AMAZING) so chapter 9 should be uploaded fairly quickly. Then again, I always say that and never follow through. (;_;)

Special thanks to my beta-reader **Astroelvengoddess** for encouraging me to keep this chapter the way it was, save the original end for the beginning of chapter 9, and not completely redo the middle. I would be forever worried and lost without you.

Everyone, please enjoy chapter 8 of _Stolen Kisses_!

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

Wicked's words echoed in the back of Prince's mind._ "Don't forget Operation Remain Normal."_

Prince could handle this. He was the infamous Blood Elf for heaven's sake. Nothing could stop him! He thought about his elaborate and skillfully crafted plan to deal with Gui during the next couple days. He'd spent a long time figuring out how best to handle the situation, but now, after two hours of confinement, he was starting to have misgivings…

Avoidance is normal? Right? Of course.

Prince was in the kitchen avoiding Gui. The door suddenly swung open.

Ugly Wolf strode in to find the elf sitting morosely at the dinner table and picking at a plate of food. Meatbun sat beside him happily munching on a meat bun.

Ugly Wolf sighed. "I knew I'd find you here."

Prince sweatdropped at the words. "Ehhh, Wolf-dage! I spent a long time figuring out a good hiding place."

"So naturally, you would pick a place where there were ample amounts of food."

Prince had no retort. He wasn't really _that_ predictable, was he? He looked uncomfortably over at the door as if expecting the rest of the Odd Squad to burst through at any time.

Ugly Wolf noticed Prince's gaze. "Don't worry. Aside from Gui, I'm the only one actually looking for you."

At the mention of the bard's name, Prince automatically panicked. "I can't be around Gui!" he exclaimed as he scooped up Meatbun before the little bun had the chance to finish his meal. Prince got ready to make a run for it.

"But, Mama, I wasn't finished!" Meatbun cried as tears began to well up in the little bun's eyes.

"Meatbun, you don't understand!"

Meatbun cast a woeful look at his half-eaten meat bun. "But…but…Meatbun-bun's still hungry!" Waterfalls began streaming from the bun's face.

"Meatbun! Argh! Nooooo!" Prince wrestled with the squirming Meatbun in his hands as his tiny pet desperately tried to get back to the meat bun.

Meatbun saw an opportunity and broke free from Prince's grip to go sailing towards the delicious and savory meat bun. Meatbun opened his mouth wide and bit down happily.

**(System Notice: Prince -5HP)**

**(System Notice: Meatbun has learned new ability – Hungry Meatbun)**

Prince fought back the tears of pain in his eyes as he gently removed a shocked Meatbun from his now mangled hand. Meatbun stared at Prince's hand and more tears began to well up in the bun's eyes.

"Meatbun-bun…hurt Mama?"

Prince bit his lip to keep from responding with a gasp of pain. "No, Meatbun," he eventually wheezed out. "I'm fine." Since when does a meat bun have teeth? Apparently his did. He turned pained eyes to Ugly Wolf and indicated to the hand that had tried to stop his Meatbun-on-a-mission.

Ugly Wolf fought hard to suppress his laughter as he healed the bitten hand. Meatbun started to wail. "Meatbun-bun _did_ hurt Mama!"

"Ahhh, Meatbun, shhhh! It's ok!" At this rate, Gui would find Prince for sure.

Ugly Wolf couldn't hold it in any longer. He burst into hearty laughter.

"Wolf-dage! Not you too!" Prince was nearly in hysterics from all the noise caused by his predicament.

"**Retribution for trying to avoid discussing your relationship with Gui earlier."** Ugly Wolf continued laughing while he sent the private message to Prince while the elf continued trying to calm down his little pet. Prince read the message with a shocked expression but couldn't really do much with Meatbun still crying hysterically over hurting his most precious mother.

"**I already told you there was nothing going on,"** Prince replied as he continued to try calming down his now hyperventilating Meatbun.

Ugly Wolf quirked a hairy eyebrow. **"Care to explain what happened in the Infinite Hall?"**

Prince flushed. "That wasn't what it looked like."

"Oh?" Ugly Wolf continued to smirk.

"Ok, so maybe I was really mad at you," Prince admitted sheepishly. "But the part about Gui, that's not what it looked like."

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about."

Prince threw a glare at the grinning beast man. Wicked had explained to him how the situation looked. Gui walks in, Prince gets flustered, blushes, and runs away. Everything in that scenario screamed blushing schoolgirl and Prince was determined to set the record straight.

He set Meatbun atop his head. The bun sniffled slightly and snuggled into Prince's soft, white hair. Prince handed Meatbun the remains of the meat bun on the table before turning back to Ugly Wolf.

"Wicked told me what others might think of my reaction," he mumbled dejectedly. "But that's definitely not why I acted the way I did!"

Ugly Wolf continued to smile.

"Do you think this is amusing?" Prince finally yelled in irritation. "This is all your fault anyway! If you hadn't made that dumb comment about my…erm…time of the month the professor and I wouldn't have been so awkward around each other!"

"I think you're missing a very important point, _Prince_," Ugly Wolf purposefully emphasized the elf's name.

"Eh?"

"In-game," Ugly Wolf continued. "you're Prince. Not a student. You have nothing stopping you from interacting normally with Gui."

Prince blinked slowly. "Wolf-dage, you can't be serious?"

"It's what Gui does, isn't it?" Ugly Wolf reasoned. "He's already suspicious of you being a university student, but that hasn't affected the way he treats you."

Prince slowly began to smile. "Wolf-dage, that is just crazy enough to work!"

Ugly Wolf smirked. "You're forgetting one more thing though."

"Eh?" Prince turned to the beast man with doleful eyes.

"You and Gui already have a situation in-game."

Prince buried his face in his hands. "I'm never leaving this room," he mumbled.

**~o~0~o~**

Prince decided with resolution that he would withhold any dealings with Gui until he got things straightened out in real-life with Professor Min. It was the only way to save face and keep from blushing profusely around the older man.

"Prince?" He heard a quiet knock on his door and an all-too familiar voice. "Prince, are you in there?"

He had moved from his hiding place in the kitchen about an hour ago and up to his personal bedroom in the castle tower. He froze, unsure of whether he should answer or not.

_Don't forget Operation Remain Normal_.

He made up his mind and took a deep breath. "…Gui?" he ventured.

"Your highness!" The bard's voice immediately brightened. "May I come in?"

_Ehhhh?_ Prince panicked. "Ah, no! Er…I mean…um…not yet…er…I'm not decent!" he blurted out the first excuse he could think of. He heard Gui's faint squeak and immediately regretted his choice of words. He pressed a fist to his forehead in embarrassment. "Gui, what I really meant to say is I'm just not taking visitors at the moment. I assure you, I AM FULLY CLOTHED."

Prince slumped to the ground. Why was every day _so_ embarrassing lately?

To his surprise, Gui gave the weakest chuckle from the other side of the door. "Wolf-ge must have done something significant to get you all worked up like this."

"Huh?" Those were the last words Prince expected to come out of Gui's mouth. He expected something more…well…Gui-esque and stupid sounding.

"Wolf-ge did something to embarrass you, right?" Gui's voice continued, sounding concerned. "Or something to make you upset."

Prince blinked at the door at the spot he imagined Gui's head would be. "How did you know?" he managed to ask.

"I came into the conversation late, but I overheard Doll saying Wolf-ge had done something to hurt you."

Prince somehow couldn't find the right words to respond. And he had to let Gui know that there was nothing aside from embarrassment behind that blush he'd thrown the man earlier. He could probably play it off as embarrassment and anger from earlier in the week from Gui's drunken escapade. "Gui, I…"

"I understand," Gui interrupted, turning bright red. "I know what it's like to completely embarrass yourself in front of someone."

"Gui…" Prince halted at the words coming out of the bard's mouth. "I don't think you really understand."

"No, but I'm pretty sure I can empathize." The bard paused and his voice sounded strangled. "I'm not sure what happened between you and Wolf-ge, but you see…today I…I made a complete fool of myself in front of a student and I'm not sure how to fix it."

Prince did a double-take at the door. Surely he couldn't be talking about—

"I feel terrible about it. So…I can empathize about being overly embarrassed when you're supposed to be in a position of power."

Prince's jaw dropped. No way. This was just getting too weird. "Gui…"

Gui sounded as if he needed to get something heavy off his chest. He took a deep breath. "I'm sure you've heard by now about the reason behind the fight the other day. It was my fault for saying awful things about a student."

Gui sounded miserable and depressed as he bared his soul for the elf to see—the darker side of Gui that he usually kept separate from his in-game self. Hearing the tone in his voice, Prince almost felt sorry for him. _Almost_ because, after all, Gui may not know it but those words were directed at his real-life counterpart and they still caused him to burn in anger upon recollection. He remembered everything Professor Min had said and recalled how he still had four more days of detention. Not to mention the start of this whole mess when Gui had basically assaulted him in Second Life earlier in the week. He definitely couldn't forget that.

"Please don't think terribly of me," Gui repeated, sounding miserable.

But Prince suddenly didn't feel sorry anymore. "You have no right to pity yourself after the things you said about her!"

"Prince!" Gui's voice sounded strangled.

"Leave me alone."

Gui amazingly did exactly that for the rest of the weekend.

**~o~0~o~**

Monday morning rolled around and Feng Lan forced herself out of bed and dragged herself to school. She slumped into her chair in the lecture hall and refused to look up from her notes until she heard an overwhelming slew of murmurs and whispers.

"He looks awful," the girl behind her noted.

"Has he even been sleeping at all?"

It didn't take long to figure out who everyone was talking about. Professor Min Gui Wen stood at the front of the classroom with shoulders slumped and bags under his eyes. He gingerly removed his suit coat and placed it on the back of his chair. As he straightened up he caught Feng Lan's eye and appeared to brighten the slightest, and then, as if suddenly remembering the events of their last detention, turned bright pink and began to randomly straighten piles of papers on his desk.

"_I made a complete fool of myself in front of a student and I'm not sure how to fix it."_

_Oh lord,_ Feng Lan thought to herself. After his conversation with Prince, there was only one thing left for Gui to do. _He's going to try to fix the situation._

**~o~0~o~**

"Feng Lan!" Professor Min's voice choked out as the class was dismissing. He'd spent all weekend thinking about it and the conversation with Prince had only made him feel worse. He had to apologize to Feng Lan, about everything. If not for himself, then to redeem himself in Prince's eyes.

Any outsider might have mistaken the pair's blushing faces and looks of terror as signs of adoration and unspoken declarations of love. Nearly half the girls in the class turned to glare at Feng Xiao Lan as she met the Professor's blushing face and captivating, cerulean stare. Jing and Yun turned around in surprise. Yang Ming's mouth dropped. However, any insider (namely just Feng Lan and the professor) knew that these looks were the aftereffect of the embarrassing turn in last Friday's detention coupled with the recent events in Second Life.

"Professor Min," Feng Lan nodded in response, sounding equally flustered. The events of last week raced through her mind. She stared wide-eyed, caught in the Professor's gaze and wishing she could look anywhere but his perfect face.

"Your detention tonight," Professor Min breathed, "will be served in my private office. I just wanted to let you know."

"Ehhhh?" Feng Lan nearly shrieked. She was expecting an apology. Not this! She stared at him weakly. "Why?"

"Just be there at the appropriate time. That's all you should worry about now."

Professor Min watched as Feng Lan mumbled listlessly and strolled out the classroom door. Yang Ming, Jing, and Yun immediately surrounded her.

"What was that about?"

"What's going on?"

Professor Min listened as her friends and her brother voiced their concerns. His ears perked up as he heard Zhuo Ling Bin's voice join the conversation. "I'll pick you up after detention."

"Zhuo-gege!" Feng Lan's voice protested.

"I'm not arguing with you, Xiao Lan. I've had enough of this," Ling Bin's tone left no room for negotiation. "I'm picking you up and that's final."

Gui sighed. For once, Wicked knowing Prince in real life could work to his advantage. If detention tonight worked out according to plan, Ling Bin would be picking up a significantly happier Feng Lan and with any luck would relay the message to his beloved Prince.

**~0~o~0~**

* * *

A/N: You know the drill. And if you haven't seen it yet, please check out the prequel I posted to _Stolen Kisses_ called **_Ode to a Drunken Bard_**.

**Preview next chapter:**

_"Please, admire all you want. I rarely get to spend as much time in here as I'd like," the professor gave a reassuring smile. Feng Lan noted that he seemed much more in his element sitting behind his oaken desk and surrounded by mountains of books. He appeared much calmer and almost serene. Stress and worry were still hidden in the depths of his eyes, but on the surface he looked completely relaxed._

_Professor Min cleared his throat loudly. "Um…the room. Please admire the room."_

_Feng Lan's eyes widened. "I was! I am!" She exclaimed hurriedly and turned around abruptly to become extremely interested in a copy of the _Analects of Confucius_._


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: 1/2 Prince belongs to Yu Wo.

A/N: What? Chapter 9 already? Why, that's crazy talk!

Hi everyone, since chapter 8 was on the short side (and I can't say this one is much longer) this chapter gets posted sooner. :)

I hope I do not disappoint!

And once again, special thanks to my beta-reader **Astroelvengoddess**. I'm glad this is your fav chapter thus far. ^^

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

Detention Four.

Feng Lan took a deep breath as she looked up at the immaculately carved oak wooden door. The words "Min Gui Wen" were etched into a brass name plate placed perfectly center on the door's front. She hesitated a moment before knocking.

"Come in!" she heard the professor's voice call from inside.

She steeled herself as she turned the handle and stepped inside Professor Min Gui Wen's office for the first time. She gasped. The office was…words could barely describe it. Floor to ceiling was lined with bookshelves, all filled with hundreds of battered-looking tomes and half in languages she barely even recognized. Was that one wall entirely devoted to texts written in Sanskrit?

She was in awe; her eyes traveled from the amount of books capable of being owned by one individual to a large bay window from which sunlight streamed in, completely illuminating the room. "Amazing…" she breathed without thinking.

Professor Min's laughter brought her back to reality. "I suppose it is a pretty nice office."

Feng Lan immediately flushed. How could she have completely forgotten about him?

"Er…Professor!" she exclaimed as her eyes darted to the handsomely carved desk in the corner, behind which Professor Min sat with an amused glint in his eyes.

"Please, admire all you want. I rarely get to spend as much time in here as I'd like," the professor gave a reassuring smile. Feng Lan noted that he seemed much more in his element sitting behind his desk and surrounded by mountains of books. He appeared much calmer and almost serene. Stress and worry were still hidden in the depths of his eyes, but on the surface he looked completely relaxed.

Professor Min cleared his throat loudly. "Um…the room. Please admire the room."

Feng Lan's eyes widened. "I was! I am!" She exclaimed hurriedly and turned around abruptly to become extremely interested in a copy of the _Analects of Confucius._

After an overly lengthened pause, during which both professor and student had matching pink faces, Professor Min finally spoke again. "Um, Ms. Lan, you may take a seat." Feng Lan slowly turned around but refused to meet the professor's eyes. From the corner of her eyes she saw him gesture to the seat placed before his desk. She sat down.

Feng Lan waited with baited breath. Professor Min shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "About last week…"

"It's alright!" Feng Lan eeped. "I know it was an accident."

Professor Min sighed. "Ms. Lan, you can't possibly know—"

"I do," she reiterated. She wanted this awkwardness to be over. She was sure he did too. As much as she didn't want to admit it, the situation between her and Professor Min in real life was completely affecting her gameplay and halting the much-needed resolution between Prince and Gui. She couldn't focus at all much less lead an entire city. And from what she'd seen this morning, Gui wasn't doing any better.

But then once things were resolved, wouldn't Prince and Gui need to talk about…

She didn't want to think about it. One thing at a time.

"I'm very sorry for embarrassing the both of us," Professor Min looked at Feng Lan with utmost sincerity. "I know it's a…delicate subject…for young women and the last thing I wanted to do was make you feel uncomfortable."

Feng Lan stared resolutely at her lap. "Can we please not talk about this anymore?"

Reminding her about how much Professor Min knew she was female was somehow making her not only feel uncomfortable but also irritated. What was it that Gui had said when he first met Prince? Something about how men are the best? She frowned. What was it about Prince that Gui liked so much? Was it because her avatar was male? What about a personality? _Her_ personality? What was wrong with that?

"Will you at least accept my apology?" Professor Min looked on with eyes shining in hope.

Feng Lan felt irritated. Would he even be apologizing if Prince hadn't been angry? Somehow this upset her even more.

"Pleeeaaaaassse?" Professor Min repeated sounding even more like Gui. Feng Lan's arm itched with the want to pummel him just like she would in Second Life.

She decided to throw a wrench into his plans. "My brother said you were saying things about me in Second Life. Is that true?"

Professor Min looked affronted and slightly ashamed. "It was a mistake. I was frustrated about something else and inadvertently took my anger out on you." Feng Lan's eyes narrowed. "It was highly unprofessional of me."

Feng Lan scowled and crossed her arms. No doubt he was frustrated about the current situation between Prince and Gui. But Gui started it with his stupid drunkenness and amazing kissing skills coupled with his dashingly good looks…

Feng Lan paused in her train of thought. Nope. Nope. She definitely did not just think that.

"Ms. Lan, are you alright?" Professor Min had leaned over his desk to place a hand on her forehead, causing her to flush even more. She stared at him suddenly realizing how incredibly close his face was to hers. "Ms. Lan?" He looked worried and his face was filled with concern. She stared at his mouth as he spoke. She couldn't seem to stare anywhere else. "Ms. Lan?"

"I'm fine!" she squeaked, wrenching out of his grasp as she threw herself further back into her chair. "Just feeling a bit feverish."

He leaned back into his chair and continued staring at her in concern. "The school clinic is still open if you need to go."

Feng Lan shook her head. "Nope, I'm good," she smiled weakly. "I'll just take some medicine when I get home."

The clock ticked by in awkward silence.

"Are you sur—"

"Yes." Feng Lan smiled politely. "And I accept your apology."

Professor Min's face brightened immediately. It was almost the same idiotic smile he got when seeing Prince after an extended absence. "Ms. Lan, I also apologize for the things I said in-game—"

"Do you?" Feng Lan couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, of course, I—"

"But are you sincere?" She looked at him with a troubled face. Who was he apologizing for? Himself? For Prince?

Professor Min considered her for a moment. Then he leaned forward to stare directly into her eyes. "I wouldn't apologize if I didn't mean it."

"But I heard—"

"I don't care what you heard," Professor Min replied. Seeing the anxious look on her face made all selfish desires of even considering doing this for Prince fly out the window. He had wronged her. Plain and simple. And for some reason seeing the hurt and disbelief in her eyes made his heart clench. "I'm apologizing not because I should or even because I need to. I'm apologizing because I feel genuinely terrible about the situation and I want you to know that I would take it back if I could."

"Because of how others view you," Feng Lan couldn't help but add dejectedly.

"No!" Professor Min's eyes flashed with the slightest hint of anger. "Because of how _you_ view me."

Feng Lan's world came crashing down the moment those words left the professor's mouth. Words failed her as she couldn't seem to do anything but stare at the man before her as he tried to save his dignity for her. Not for Prince. She was having a hard time grasping the concept.

Seeing that she wasn't going to say anything any time soon, Professor Min rose from his seat, strode across the room, grabbed a book off his shelf, and tossed it into the silent girl's lap.

"What's this?" Feng Lan asked quietly, picking it up.

"Your assignment," Professor Min responded smartly. She gave him a quizzical look. He rolled his eyes. "You didn't think I brought you to my office just to apologize, did you?"

She shook her head in confusion.

"You still have detention. Your next assignment, which should take the rest of your detentions, is to reorganize my bookshelves."

She stared at the book in her hands. It was a primer on the Dewey Decimal System.

"Eh? Professor! But isn't this system obsolete now?"

"Not anymore," he smirked. "Best get to work."

**~o~0~o~**

Needless to say, Feng Lan was fuming by the time Zhuo Ling Bin stopped by to pick her up. Professor Min decided he didn't care anymore. He'd said his piece. After all, she was a student. He was a teacher. And from the way the remainder of detention had progressed, things had returned to normal between the two of them.

"Zhuo-gege, you won't believe what Professor Min made me do!" He heard her voice faintly in the distance.

He smiled softly. That girl—he shook his head—she was something else. She was a total hot-headed spitfire that still had the grace to blush and retain her dignity even in the most unfortunate circumstances. In that way, he admired her. He admired that same unusual quality in Prince. She was also unusually honest to the point of being tactless. She blurted things without thinking, but her pain evoked the rawest feelings of guilt and compassion in others. Just like Prince.

He blinked. Feng Lan…was like Prince? He shook his head. That was absurd. They looked nothing alike. They _were_ nothing alike. Except for those few highly unusual characteristics; traits that you normally don't find in people.

Professor Min had an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

Ugly Wolf's words from earlier in the week floated into his mind. _Gui, I hope you make it through this next week._ The sinking feeling only deepened.

**~o~0~o~**

Prince had readied himself. In real life, things had been resolved with Professor Min. Well, if you call returning back to angry muttering and constant bantering normal. It was now time to tackle Gui. He couldn't avoid the situation forever. He knew the mess was causing discontent and inconveniencing his fellow teammates, and most of them didn't even know what was going on!

He rounded the corner to come face to chest with the bard. He made a soft 'oofing' noise as he literally "tackled" the older man.

"Gui!" he squeaked, completely forgetting all the well-prepared words he'd spent practicing up in the tower as he realized who he was suddenly laying on. Prince leapt up almost immediately, frustrated with himself for instantly missing the warm contact of the bard's body.

"Prince," Gui blinked in shock as he rose to a standing position. "You're not in your bedroom."

Prince shook his head as he willed his heart to stop fluttering. Why was he feeling like this? This shouldn't be happening. All because Professor Min had said something nice and acknowledged her? No. That was stupid.

"And…you're…standing here. In front of _me_!" Gui sounded like he could barely believe what was happening. He suddenly looked uncertain. "Should I leave?" He got ready to make a run for it.

"Gui! No!" Prince grabbed the bard's arm.

Gui immediately froze on contact. His heart was beating rapidly. "Prince?" he turned confused eyes to the elf.

"I wanted to apologize," Prince spoke, "for the other day. I shouldn't have said what I did."

Gui looked even more confused. "Prince, what are you—"

"I said you didn't have a right to pity yourself over saying mean things about another person. I was wrong. You had every right." Even though in real life Feng Lan was still angry about detention, she couldn't get over the hurt she'd seen in Professor Min's eyes when she'd accused him of apologizing with ulterior motives. He looked genuinely hurt and troubled and his apology had been sincere if albeit a little harsher than intended.

Gui looked like he was about to cry. "My lord!"

"_But_," Prince emphasized, "I don't want you to get the wrong idea. About us, I mean."

"My lord, as long as I can stand beside your fair face and gaze into your captivating rose-red eyes that is enough for me."

Prince's hand twitched as he fought the urge to pummel Gui into the ground. "I just want things to go back to normal, ok? You say dumb things. I beat you up. Everyone's happy."

Gui bit his lip. Prince wished he hadn't noticed the action since it caused him to focus his attention on the one thing he least wanted to think about. He unconsciously mirrored Gui's action as he stared. "Prince, is there really no hope?"

Prince forced himself to flick his eyes up from Gui's mouth to his eyes and instantly regretted it. Gui stared at him with such sincerity and love and passion that Prince almost lost it. He almost leapt into Gui's arms. Was it possible to be seduced by someone's eyes alone?

"I'm sorry for confusing you," Prince forced himself to say. "But I can never be with you." He turned to leave.

"Why?" Gui choked out, grabbing Prince's hand desperately. Prince angrily shook him off.

"Because," Prince spat, "you don't even know me. You don't even know who I am."

"But I love you."

Prince stopped. Intense pain flitted across his face for the briefest moment. He shook it off but Gui didn't miss the expression. "No, you don't," Prince answered harshly.

"Prince!"

"Please," Prince looked at Gui desperately. "For my own sanity, please let me forget about a kiss you don't even remember. Please let everything go back to normal."

Those eyes. That hurt. How could Gui say no? "Of course, your highness," Gui heard his own voice from a distance. "I'd do anything for you."

"Thank you," he heard Prince whisper and the quiet sound of Prince's footsteps slowly fading into the distance followed.

He broke out of his reverie at Prince's sudden and startled exclamation. "Zhuo-gege!" the elf breathed out in surprise from the end of the hall.

Wicked's voice followed. "He _kissed_ you?" He'd suspected since day one (more like known, really), but overhearing it confirmed straight from Prince's mouth in that sad and pleading tone set him off into an angry rage. "_Kissed_? How could you let him do that?"

"It was an accident!" Prince began to protest.

"That stupid bard! I'll kill him!"

"Wicked! No!"

The dark elf reached Gui's slowly blinking face. Gui didn't even fight back as his world turned black and Prince continued to scream in the background for Wicked to stop. One thought kept running through his head. _Zhuo-gege_. Where had he heard that before?

Before his mind went completely blank, he recalled the answer. _Feng Lan_.

**~0~o~0~**

* * *

A/N: I was so amazed at how quickly the reviews came in for the last chapter. I have to say, as readers you never fail to disappoint me! I'm so incredibly happy with all the comments and words of encouragement I've received. Chapter 10 will sadly not be as posted as quickly as this one. Then again, who knows? This story is incredibly addicting and fun to write.

**Preview next chapter:**

_"What are you doing here?" Gui barely dared to breathe. If this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up._

_"I had to make sure you were alright," Prince explained. "You can't die unless it's by my hands." The elf laughed jokingly. _

_Gui smiled and reached out to stroke the side of Prince's face. "You're perfect," Gui whispered quietly. The elf froze._

_"Gui…" his voice wobbled._


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: 1/2 Prince belongs to Yu Wo.

A/N: You guys are the best! ^^ Thank you for all the lovely reviews.

I have to admit, there is a soft spot in my heart for Zhuo Ling Bin. I feel awful for him since he often gets made out to be the bad guy or the scape goat in GuixLan stories. I really do love him! And I think he's terribly sweet for protecting Xiao Lan and loving her for so many years without getting anything in return.

I think that's why I felt terrible writing this chapter. (;_;)

Thanks again to my beta-reader **Astroelvengoddess** who is now almost as attached to this story as I am. What will we do once this is all over? Haha, probably have real lives again. (Or in my case finally start playing Portal 2 - since once I start I'll be out of commission for a day or two). ^^"

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

It wasn't true. There was no way it was possible.

Prince was definitely _not _Feng Lan.

At least that's what Gui kept telling himself.

He opened his eyes in the infirmary. The members of the Odd Squad all stared down at him.

"He's waking up!" he heard Doll exclaim.

"Shhh, Doll! Don't be so loud," Yu Lian reprimanded.

"He needs more rest," Ugly Wolf explained.

From the corner of his eye, he spied the gorgeous Blood Elf wringing his hands in anxiety. Prince ran a hand through his hair and then buried his face in his palms. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The elf didn't appear to be talking to anyone in particular. Just mumbling to himself incoherently.

Gui smiled. All that mattered was that Prince was there beside him. With a quiet sigh he closed his eyes again.

**~o~0~o~**

The room was strangely silent when Gui awoke. The only sound was a muffled breathing coming from near his waist. He shifted to get a better look but realized that he was held in place by someone holding his hand. He glanced down; the sight nearly took his breath away.

Prince slept lightly, hand clutched tightly around Gui's. The boy was obviously exhausted from staying by the bard's side all night. At Gui's rustling, Prince began to wake up. Gui watched in amazement as the elf slowly rubbed his eyes and turned to face him with eyes half-closed. "Gui?" Prince smiled sleepily. "You're awake."

Gui could barely breathe. How was this angel sitting before him smiling so sweetly? Hadn't he been rejected?

"What are you doing here?" Gui barely dared to breathe. If this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up.

"I had to make sure you were alright," Prince explained. "You can't die unless it's by my hands." The elf laughed jokingly.

Gui smiled and reached out to stroke the side of Prince's face. "You're perfect," Gui whispered quietly. The elf froze.

"Gui…" his voice wobbled.

"Prince, it's time for school," a voice called from the door. It sounded like Wu Qing. Or Yun Fei? Gui wasn't sure.

Prince appeared slightly relieved at the intrusion. Gui felt hurt. Was it so hard for the elf to spend time with him? "Right," he heard Prince say. He watched as the elf turned to him. The boy muttered, still holding his hand but refusing to meet his eyes. "You should probably go too. It's for the best."

"Prince, I'll always love you."

"Don't say that," Prince replied. Gui watched as Prince logged off and vanished before his eyes.

**~o~0~o~**

Feng Lan didn't dare meet the professor's eyes during lecture. Her heart raced rapidly whenever she remembered the way he'd looked at Prince with eyes completely filled with love. The only thing keeping her sane was the knowledge that it was reserved solely for Prince. He'd never look at her that way.

Both Second Life and real life were becoming extremely difficult to manage. Last night was…scary. Wicked lost himself. As soon as the dark elf realized what he'd done he'd frozen entirely. Prince had to shake him out of his shocked state of mind and even then the only words to pass from Wicked's lips were, "You'll never forgive me."

Before Prince could respond, Wicked had run away. He didn't answer his PMs. Feng Lan was worried. She hadn't seen Ling Bin at school either. Worrying about her friend helped distract her from worrying about Gui. She was trying to take Ugly Wolf and Zhuo-gege's advice to separate her real life from Second Life.

After lecture finished, it looked like Professor Min wanted to say something to her. She quickly threw herself into the throng of students exiting the classroom before he could single her out. She couldn't deal with Professor Min right now. She had to talk to Zhuo-gege. She called his phone.

He finally picked up after the seventh ring.

"Xiao Lan?" he answered hesitantly.

"Zhuo-gege!" she exclaimed, sounding relieved. "I was so worried about you!"

The pause on his side of the phone indicated his surprise. "I thought you would hate me."

"Will you still pick me up after detention?" Feng Lan spoke quietly into the receiver.

She could hear the sad smile in Ling Bin's voice and his hesitation. After an extended pause he finally spoke. "Of course, Xiao Lan," he whispered quietly. "You know I'd do anything for you."

**~o~0~o~**

Detention Five.

Professor Min hadn't said a word since she'd entered his office. It was almost unnerving. She filed his books wordlessly as he surveyed her from behind his desk.

In his own mind, he was fighting a losing battle. The connections between Prince and Feng Lan were steadily growing. As much as he wanted to dismiss the theory entirely, he couldn't. And now he was sitting there, staring at her, and trying to figure out just how alike she was to his beloved Blood Elf.

So far, things were not looking so well for Min Gui Wen.

"Erm…Professor?" Feng Lan finally paused midway through shelving a book. She'd been trying to ignore his continuous stares for the past 30 minutes, but it was getting increasingly difficult. Had she done something wrong? She thought their conversation yesterday had gone well. Did something happen in the interim? Had she misread the situation? Was Gui still feeling awkward? Or perhaps he was sulking in the aftermath of Prince's rejection? Either way, she desperately needed him to stop staring. She hoped he hadn't noticed she'd misfiled the same book three times in a row. She felt so flustered.

"Ms. Lan!" he squeaked as the girl suddenly turned to face him. Her eyes softened in concern at the anxious and troubled look on his face.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked, hesitation in her voice.

Professor Min gaped. How was he supposed to act around her when he was starting to suspect she was Prince? Could he continue treating her like he did before? Should he treat her like he treated Prince? For all he knew, she might not even be Prince! Then how awkward would that be?

Professor Min fought to compose himself and finally plastered a gentle smile on his face. "No, Ms. Lan. I'm just watching to ensure that you don't mess up my bookshelves."

Feng Lan's eyes narrowed. Professor Min inwardly cursed his amazingly tactless excuse.

"I see," Feng Lan huffed and turned back around. "Well, don't let me get in the way of your extremely important observations."

"Xiao Lan," Gui's voice sounded hurt. "I didn't mean it quite like that."

Feng Lan paused as she willed her heart to stop fluttering. Professor Min had never called her so informally before. Hearing her nickname pass from his lips was doing dizzying things to her brain. She wasn't even sure he was aware he'd said it. Her stomach danced with butterflies. She stared at the bookshelf until she finally gained control of herself again. "Then how did you mean it?"

"You're doing a great job, Feng Lan. I was admiring your handiwork."

Feng Lan blushed deeply. Stupid Professor Min. Why was he being so nice? She almost wished he'd go back to his original snarky self. She finally turned around, one hand scratching the back of her head, and let out a timid giggle. "Thanks, Professor!" She grinned.

Professor Min froze at her extremely Prince-like stance. _She's not Prince. She's not Prince. She's not Prince. She's __not__ Prince_. He chanted repeatedly through his head. He cleared his throat loudly. "Enough idle chatting," he forced himself to say as he whipped out a red marker and a stack of assignments that still needed to be graded. "Time to get back to work."

Feng Lan's smile faded as the professor became overly immersed in his work. His eyes skimmed over the assignments with lightning speed and his hand was even quicker at adding red marks. Her breath caught as he suddenly looked up to catch her eye.

"What are you waiting for? I don't trust just any student to handle my precious textbooks."

Feng Lan blushed. "Yes, Professor!" She quickly turned around to start filing and paused only momentarily to let a happy smile cross her face at the professor's unexpected compliment.

**~o~0~o~**

Professor's Min icy voice finally broke Feng Lan's concentration from organizing the stack of books in front of her. "_You_."

Feng Lan turned around to identify the problem only to see Professor Min glaring at the open door. Zhuo Ling Bin stood at the threshold to Gui's office warily surveying the scene before him. He caught Professor Min's gaze. "I'm just here to pick up Xiao Lan," he muttered with arms crossed.

The professor's glare deepened. "Then I suggest you wait somewhere else. Ms. Lan still has five more minutes remaining of her detention."

"Gui—"

"You have a lot of nerve even showing your face around me at school. Did you think you could just get away with what you did last night?"

Ling Bin looked uncomfortable. Feng Lan looked even more worried. Oh no. Why did she have to ask Zhuo-gege to pick her up? She should have known better! How could she have thought everything would be just fine? Ling Bin opened his mouth. "Gui…I…"

"Get out!" Professor Min shouted before Ling Bin could finish his sentence. Feng Lan's eyes widened. She'd never seen Professor Min—or Gui—lose his composure like this before. He glared angrily at Zhuo Ling Bin, his eyes dancing with the iciest of flames. The look completely chilled Feng Lan to the bone.

Ling Bin appeared unsure as to whether or not he should stand his ground. His frame wavered slightly.

Professor Min growled. "If you don't leave this instant—"

"I'M SORRY!" Ling Bin suddenly blurted. He covered his face with his hands in shame. "For everything."

The entire room stood in silence. Feng Lan and Ling Bin both waited anxiously for Professor Min's next words. The anger roiling through the air hardly seemed to dissipate.

"Leave."

"But Gui—"

"I SAID LEAVE!"

Ling Bin threw a nervous glance at Feng Lan. Professor Min noticed the gaze and for some reason this incited him even more. "Gui, we really need to talk. For Prince's sake," Ling Bin continued to look suspiciously in Feng Lan's direction.

Feng Lan shook her head. _Zhuo-gege, what are you doing!_

Gui scoffed. "I don't believe there's anything to talk about."

"I'm apologizing to you because I made a mistake. And as much as I dislike it, I know Prince cares for you and the last thing I want is for him to hate me."

"Perhaps you should have thought about such things before you decided to put your fist in my face," Gui retorted angrily, though he received the smallest bit of satisfaction from hearing Ling Bin say that Prince cared about him.

"Please, Gui…" Ling Bin was practically begging now. "You know our arguing is only going to make Prince miserable."

At this Professor Min also shot a look in Feng Lan's direction. She stared wide-eyed at them both looking fearful and worried. Even from a distance, he could tell that the girl's hands were shaking with anxiety. If she really was Prince, then why did she have to look at Zhuo Ling Bin with such care and concern? Why couldn't Prince just like him alone? Ling Bin's reasoning rang loud and clear in his mind and he hated the truthfulness of it. Prince cared for both of them. There was no way around it.

Gui scowled and turned away from Ling Bin. "Fine. I'll be civil but I won't forgive you. At least not yet."

Ling Bin let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "Thank you," he sighed.

"Now get out of my sight."

Ling Bin bowed apologetically and took off running. Feng Lan made a move to run after him.

"Ms. Lan," Professor Min halted her. She could see the pain in his eyes as she turned to face him.

"I'm sorry," she felt the strange need to suddenly apologize for causing Professor Min so much trouble. She couldn't bear to see the sadness in his eyes. It made her feel guilty and somehow responsible. In a way, it was her fault. She turned her gaze downward to focus at a spot on the floor as she uttered her next sentence. "I asked Ling Bin to pick me up today."

Min Gui Wen felt something inside of himself break. He stared at the girl before him, desperately wishing beyond all hope that she wasn't Prince. She couldn't be Prince. Would Prince be so nice to Wicked after last night's events? Gui was displeased with the answer in his head.

He slumped down in his seat. "Go after him," he buried his face in his hands, upset with himself and the swirl of emotions he was feeling. "Detention is over."

Feng Lan stood there seemingly torn for a moment. Finally she bit her lip. "Thank you, Professor. I'll do everything I can to work hard for you in the coming days."

With a curt bow she smiled at Professor Min and took off running in the direction Ling Bin had gone. Gui watched her go until she was out of sight and then banged his fist against the desk in frustration. Prince's words from last night echoed in his mind.

"_You don't even know who I am!"_

He wanted to know who Prince was. He wanted to be on equal footing with Wicked. More than anything, though, he just wanted Prince to be happy.

And Ling Bin was right. At least when it came to Prince, his happiness was something they could both agree on.

**~o~0~o~**

"Zhuo-gege!" Feng Lan shouted down the hallways as she ran. "Zhuo-gege!"

She rounded a corner to find him sitting on the floor, back pressed up against the wall and face buried against his knees. He looked pitiful.

"Zhuo-gege…" She whispered in concern.

"I'm sorry, Xiao Lan." She heard him mumble. "I just can't seem to control my emotions around you."

"Zhuo-gege," she shook her head in confusion. Why was Ling Bin acting like this? Why was he so sad? "I don't understand."

"I get jealous too easily, thinking about you with someone else." He refused to meet her eyes as he told her the truth. A truth he hated to admit. "Even when I already know you'll never like me as more than a friend."

Feng Lan didn't know what to say. She'd heard that Zhuo Ling Bin liked her for quite some time. She wasn't sure how to reciprocate. She cared for him deeply and appreciated his stunningly handsome features. But for some reason, she could never bring herself to view him as anything other than a good friend. She admired him like an older brother.

"Zhuo-gege, I'm sorry…"

He'd thought about it all day. He needed to stop being so selfish. It was time to for him to let Xiao Lan go. The girl was incredibly dense when it came to her own feelings. But Ling Bin had watched her for quite some time, enough to understand Xiao Lan better than she understood herself. She was falling for Gui, even if she didn't realize it yet herself. The realization caused him to blow up last night more than he ever would have wanted in front of her. He'd failed at winning her heart. He felt like he'd failed entirely as a person.

"You can tell Gui not to worry. I won't be logging into Second Life for a while," Ling Bin mumbled into his knees. He couldn't bear to see the relationship between Gui and Xiao Lan deepen. He couldn't let himself fly off the handle like before. He wanted Xiao Lan to be happy. And right now, he had to remove himself from the picture for that to happen.

"Zhuo-gege, you don't have to do that," she whispered pleadingly. "I need you. Who will I talk to if you're not there?"

"Trust me, Xiao Lan," he finally looked up at her and the sadness on his face broke her heart. "It's for the best. You'll understand later."

**~o~0~o~**

Feng Lan put on her gaming helmet that night with an air of incredible sadness. Everyone in Second Life noticed the intense atmosphere of sorrow surrounding Prince as well as Wicked's unusual absence from the game.

Prince felt awful about hurting two people he cared about deeply—Gui and his rejection last night and Zhuo-gege and his rejection earlier this evening. He still didn't quite understand Zhuo-gege's reasoning. Why did he have to leave? Why did he think it was for the best? All Prince could think of was how terrible he felt and how he wanted to forget everything that happened. He wished everything could revert back to normal.

He wandered aimlessly around the castle before randomly ending up in front of Gui's bedroom. The door opened. "Prince!" Gui exclaimed in shock. The elf looked up at him in despair.

"Wicked's not logging in anymore," he mumbled quietly. "It's all my fault."

Gui didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do. On pure instinct, he reached out and crushed the elf to his chest. Prince didn't say anything. He just let Gui embrace him and whisper soothingly into his ear. He just wanted to be held. He wanted to be told everything was going to be alright.

"I'm sorry," Gui whispered instead.

That's when Prince started to cry.

**~0~o~0~**

* * *

A/N: (T-T) I promise the next chapter is happier and a bit more lighthearted!

**Preview next chapter:**

_Prince's face lit up. "I'm sorry! I didn't realize—"_

_"Keep looking, it's ok." Gui held Prince's face on either side so that the boy couldn't turn away. Prince turned beet red as he began to struggle._

_"Gui, what are you doing?" Prince looked beyond terrified._

_"Making you forget your sadness." He placed the faintest kiss on the elf's forehead. Then he closed his eyes as he waited for the inevitable beating that was due to follow. There was nothing that cured Prince more than turning Gui into a bloody mess. Gui winced in anticipation, but when nothing happened he let his eyes flutter open in confusion to the sight of Prince's blushing face. The elf's eyes were squeezed tightly shut and he appeared to be holding his breath._

_"Prince?"_


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: 1/2 Prince belongs to Yu Wo.

A/N: Hey all. I'm really kind of super bummed right now because my boyfriend of 2 yrs broke up with me yesterday in preparation for his moving to China in the fall. I wrote this chapter before it happened, so don't fret. It's still more lighthearted than the last. But...yeah...I'm going to take a short break before finishing chapter 12. The last thing I want is for my own emotions to infiltrate the story.

I'm also temporarily relocating this summer to do anthropological fieldwork and will be in the process of packing and moving next week anyway. All I can really say is no updates next week. But the week after that looks promising!

Once again, thank you for all the lovely reviews. They always make me smile. :)

Special thanks to my beta-reader **Astroelvengoddess**. She is actually one of my best friends from school and I'm looking forward to seeing her again really soon. :D**  
**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

Prince knew he had made a huge mistake. A mistake that could affect his reputation; though he wasn't entirely sure if it worked in his favor or against it.

Everyone was talking about it. Ok, maybe not everyone, but Prince heard the hushed and hurried whispers of his constituents as he walked the hallways of his castle. He wanted to be angry. He wanted to correct them, but at this point he was just too tired to even care.

"Prince and Gui were hugging in the hallway?"

"But I heard Prince was with Wicked?"

"Why do you think he's not logging in?"

"Rejected love!"

"Gyaaahh! Why are all the super-hot, amazing bishies never interested in women?"

Prince wanted to punch something. How had the news of his situation traveled so quickly? He wanted the rumors to stop. Gui walked beside him, strangely silent. It probably just made things look worse.

"My lord…" He looked at the elf as if afraid the boy would burst into tears at any moment.

"I'm fine," Prince muttered. "I promise you won't have to see me cry again."

The comment did not stop Gui from looking troubled. "Your highness…"

"It's weird for a man to cry anyways, right?" Prince spoke, voicing his inner thoughts aloud. "Men don't cry. It's embarrassing."

"Prince," Gui turned to face Prince's delicate form. He tilted the latter's chin up to look directly into his eyes, causing the elf to blush the slightest at the intimate gesture. "Everyone cries."

Prince gazed at the bard's face realizing just how emotionally vulnerable he was at that instant. He'd lost one of his best friends in game and in real life. Not permanently, but Prince knew that he wouldn't be seeing Zhuo-gege anytime soon. That was the thing about Zhuo Ling Bin. He always kept his word. When Feng Lan was twelve she'd stupidly declared she would marry Ling Bin. She thought it was all fun but he'd taken her words to heart. He never stopped loving her.

Gui tenderly ruffled the top of Prince's hair to break him out of his melancholic state. Prince stared at the bard with wide eyes. Gui's eyes—Prince noted—were a different color than Professor Min's. He'd never really looked at them closely before, not the way he'd noticed the professor's brilliant blue ones. The demon bard's eyes were calmer, more serene, which was ironic considering the way Gui acted in-game. Professor Min's eyes were so expressive. Gui's eyes were a soulful purple.

Gui blushed from Prince's intense scrutiny. "Prince…"

Prince's face lit up. "I'm sorry! I didn't realize—"

"Keep looking, it's ok." Gui held Prince's face on either side so that the boy couldn't turn away. Prince turned beet red as he began to struggle.

"Gui, what are you doing?" Prince looked beyond terrified.

"Making you forget your sadness." He placed the faintest kiss on the elf's forehead. Then he closed his eyes as he waited for the inevitable beating that was due to follow. There was nothing that cured Prince more than turning Gui into a bloody mess. Gui winced in anticipation, but when nothing happened he let his eyes flutter open in confusion to the sight of Prince's blushing face. The elf's eyes were squeezed tightly shut and he appeared to be holding his breath.

"Prince?"

"Don't confuse me!" Prince yelled and suddenly gave Gui an uppercut to the jaw. Gui stumbled backward as Prince took flight and began running rapidly down the hall. As Prince whipped around the corner Gui chuckled as the elf's last words trailed after him. "You stupid bard! Find someone else to tease!"

Gui smiled. _Oh Prince,_ he thought. _But there's no one else like you_.

Except that wasn't true. Was it?

_Feng Lan_.

Gui's smile faded. Teasing Feng Lan and inciting the girl's anger gave him almost as much amusement and joy as teasing Prince.

Gui suddenly felt queasy again. Before, his mind used to be filled only with images of Prince. The elf had invaded his every thought. Now, Gui realized uneasily, Feng Lan was beginning to replace that. She didn't make his breath catch in the same way Prince did but she amplified his emotions; be it anger, annoyance, embarrassment, or guilt. He wouldn't have looked twice at her if he hadn't started comparing her to Prince.

Gui began to wonder…why was it that Prince looked so hurt when Gui confessed to him? Underneath Prince's annoyance at the bard's attention lay the smallest hint of sadness. If Gui was making Prince confused, then Prince's reactions were making Gui even more so.

One thing was certain however. Gui needed to find out Prince's identity once and for all.

**~o~0~o~**

Feng Lan arrived to school early, semi-hoping that she'd "accidentally" run into Zhuo-gege. She knew the prospects were unlikely. Yang Ming had glared at her over breakfast, accusing her for Wicked's absence in-game.

"Sis, why couldn't you have just liked him?"

She'd thrown a piece of bacon at his face and stormed off. Insensitive brother. He tried to be such a playboy in Second Life. He wouldn't know the first thing about dealing with issues of love!

After Yang Ming, it had been Jing's and Yun's turn to question her incessantly. "What are all these crazy rumors we've been hearing about you and Gui?"

"Why didn't Wicked log in last night?"

"Ling Bin didn't show up to his recitation yesterday. What's going on?"

Feng Lan was sick of it. She wanted to be alone. She excused herself to go to the bathroom and instead fled to a rarely used corner of the library.

She sighed heavily finally thankful for a moment of quiet reprieve.

"Ms. Lan!" a voice greeted her in surprise.

She stared up into the blue eyes she'd come to both love and hate. _Oh no_.

"Professor!" she squeaked. After yesterday's detention and the past couple night's events, he was the very last person she wanted to see.

"I didn't know you studied postmodern theory," he glanced at the books shelved behind her. Feng Lan snuck a quick look. She didn't recognize a single title.

"Eheh…that is to say…"

"I'm sorry about last night," Professor Min's shoulders drooped. He sounded so dejected. "I feel like all I've done the past couple days is apologize to you."

Her mind filled with images of Professor Min yelling at Ling Bin in the office. The argument scared her. His anger was terrifying. Yet Gui had still comforted Prince in-game afterward and now Professor Min was standing before her entirely apologetic and looking at her so sincerely.

It was almost heart-stopping. _Almost_.

"I should be the one apologizing," Feng Lan muttered guiltily. "I should have known better than to have asked Ling Bin to pick me up after school." After all, she was the reason for the tension between Gui and Wicked in the first place and therefore Professor Min and Ling Bin, right? If only she had been more careful in Second Life, everything could have been avoided. Wicked's attack on Gui, Prince's rejection of the bard, Gui's amazing drunken kiss…

She forced herself to stop thinking.

"You should have known?" Professor Min repeated, eyes flashing. His blue eyes danced in suspicion. "Whatever do you mean by that, _Feng Lan_?"

Feng Lan's mouth dropped. No. He couldn't possibly suspect!

"Ehhh, I meant your rivalry with Ling Bin in-game! My brother's mentioned it to me before," she stated quickly. She bit her lip and looked up at him anxiously. _Please believe me. Please believe me_.

Gui seemed to relax the slightest. "That makes sense…" he murmured quietly to himself. He appeared lost in thought for a moment until Feng Lan interrupted him.

"Erm, Professor?"

"Hmm?"

"I meant what I said earlier, about working extra hard for you. It's my own silly way of apologizing for blurting out what I did last week." Feng Lan shifted her feet nervously from side to side.

Gui had to pause for a moment to remember why he'd put her in detention in the first place. Last week seemed so long ago. As he recalled the reason he began to turn sullen. "Oh…"

"_Because Prince would never look twice at someone as idiotic and perverse as you!"_

Feng Lan had her hands behind her back, gazing despondently up at him with large doleful eyes. It was similar to the look Prince had thrown him when apologizing to Gui right before he had confessed.

Professor Min's heart began to race unexpectedly.

"Feng Lan…"

"Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly. "It's time for my next lecture. See you after school!"

She hurriedly ran away, completely oblivious to Professor Min's look of astonishment. As she entered her next lecture hall and set her things down, she smiled softly to herself. She'd been able to have another decent conversation with Professor Min. And this time, she didn't even get overly flustered by thinking too much about Gui's actions in-game. Perhaps she was finally starting to master the art of separating Second Life and real life. Ugly Wolf would be proud.

Despite Zhuo-gege no longer being her main moral support, she decided that Operation Remain Normal would remain in effect. She only had two more detentions counting today. She could survive that, right? By tomorrow evening, she'd be flying free and never have to worry about how she acted in front of the professor again.

**~o~0~o~**

Detention Six.

Professor Min was sweating slightly as he pushed open the door to his office to find Feng Lan already in place organizing his second bookshelf. She smiled brightly as he entered. "Hello, Professor Min-" she halted at the look on his face. "Er, Professor, is something wrong?" She thought the conversation in library had left them on good terms. Was she mistaken?

Gui, on the other hand, knew that his suspicions couldn't wait any longer. The more he thought about it, the more Feng Lan seemed like Prince. But the way she treated him in real life just didn't quite match up with the way Prince dealt with Gui. Then again, Prince had always been keen on hiding his true identity…

_It's just a theory_, Gui thought to himself shakily. _It doesn't mean she's Prince_. "Feng Lan," he chose his next words carefully as he decided to tread into dangerous territory. "Do you by chance play Second Life?"

She froze for a moment. That was…unexpected. Gui mentally noted that she paled just the slightest. She bit her lip nervously as she finally replied. "Maybe…why do you ask, Professor?"

Feng Lan's heart was beating rapidly. She knew it. She just _knew_ it. He was starting to figure it out. But how? She thought she had been exceedingly careful to go about routine as normal. And Wolf-dage had sworn to her that he wouldn't reveal her true identity. Had she carelessly slipped up at some point? What had she done? He'd seemed suspicious of her in the library as well.

"I don't know…" Professor Min drawled slowly as he tried thinking of a way to make her slip up. It's not like he could just outright ask her. If she was Prince, she would deny it for sure. He had to do this in a roundabout way, a way to trick her in unexpectedly admitting it. "I thought it might be something fun we have in common. You've mentioned on several occasions talking to your brother about recent events in Second Life. Your character should look like Wu Qing, but I've never seen a female character like him yet. It seems odd since your brother and both your parents live in the Infinite City."

"Oh?" Feng Lan suddenly smiled. She could easily dodge this one. "For one, my character looks nothing like my brother." That part was semi-true. "And two, I wanted to leave the nest in more ways than one. I'm on the Southern Continent." She lied smoothly.

Professor Min smirked and crossed his arms. "Really? What's your screen name? I have to admit I'm a bit surprised," he commented. "Most girls these days are flocking in hoards to live in the Infinite City just for the chance of seeing Prince with their own eyes. I'm curious as to why, despite your brother's connections, you haven't once traveled to view Prince in real life as well?"

Feng Lan blinked, surprised at the bold route the professor had suddenly taken. Or maybe she was overanalyzing and he really was just making small talk? She forced herself to act like it was the latter. _Remain calm. Think of something_.

She took a moment to reply. She loved bishies. And he'd raised a good point. The same one her friends had used to figure out her identity in-game. If she knew Wu Qing, who knew Prince, why wouldn't she go visit him? She smiled as she came up with the most plausible answer she could think of. "Prince isn't real, Professor. He's just an avatar. And from the way my brother talks about him, I'd rather see him on paper than ruin my mental image of his personality."

Her answer shook Professor Min momentarily in more ways than one. First, he immediately wanted to defend Prince's charming personality. How could anyone not like him? Stupid Wu Qing. Secondly, Prince…just an avatar? Yes…but…

"Did I ever tell you I used to think Yang Ming was Prince? They certainly look very similar."

Feng Lan visibly paled at this. "Did you now?" she attempted a weak laugh. "You shouldn't tell him that. He'll get a big head thinking he's all handsome and stuff."

"Prince isn't just handsome," Professor Min shot her a heated look. "He's _beautiful_."

Feng Lan's breath caught in her throat. She dropped one of the books she'd been holding in surprise. The soft 'thunk' it made upon hitting the carpet brought her back to her senses. She bent down quickly to grab it but the professor beat her to it.

"Thank you," she whispered, as he handed the battered tome back to her. Her eyes were unable to break free of his burning stare and as she straightened back up, she realized how much closer he had moved towards her. She could almost feel his breath on her face. The situation reminded her of Gui's teasing from the night before. She backed up a bit, feeling her shoulders hit the front of the bookcase. His arms resting against the bookshelves entrapped her on either side. "Professor?"

"You never told me your screen name, Feng Lan."

Both stared wide-eyed at each other. The silence was broken only by the sound of the clock ticking above the Professor Min's desk.

"Princ-" Professor Min heard her begin to squeak. His eyes widened. Really? She was really going to admit it just like that. "-ess Xiao Xiao." Feng Lan could hardly believe she'd managed to make sound come out of her mouth. She shut her eyes and repeated the fake name again. "Princess Xiao Xiao."

Professor Min raised an eyebrow. The corner of his mouth twitched up in amusement and he burst into raucous laughter. "Princess Xiao Xiao? That's the stupidest name I've ever heard."

Feng Lan scowled, slightly hurt. It wasn't that ridiculous, was it? Her name in The World had been Xiao Xiao Lan after all. "It's not any stupider-sounding than Guilliastes!" she retorted angrily, turning her head away and crossing her arms.

Professor Min's eyes narrowed. "I thought talking back to your teacher was what got you into this mess in the first place," he remarked coolly. He could see Feng Lan begin to flush. Her cheeks and the tips of her ears turned an adorable shade of pink. She cast her eyes downward in the same manner Prince did when he was embarrassed.

His heart skipped a beat.

Professor Min abruptly pulled away from her at the feeling. "Finish your task," he turned away from her before the situation could progress any further. He was confused. His head hurt. If he stayed around her too much longer, he was going to admit to thinking she was Prince. "I've got errands to run." He excused himself quickly and ran out the door.

Feng Lan stayed frozen in place until she heard the soft click of the office door closing. Her heart continued racing and her breathing was shallow. She placed a hand to her heated forehead and slowly slid down the bookcase to the floor, willing her body to calm down. How was Professor Min having this effect on her? Why was she unable to control herself around him?

He was Gui. She wasn't supposed to like him! And Gui only loved Prince! He'd told her that when Jing had tricked them both into going on that silly date ages ago. But here he was in real life—throwing her compliments, looking at her in the same heated way he looked at Prince—and her heart pattered rapidly in confusion.

Feng Lan took a shaky breath when she realized she couldn't deny it to herself any longer. She'd completely fallen head over heels for the professor.

**~o~0~o~**

Outside the door, Gui wasn't doing so well either. "Feng Lan is Prince," he muttered repeatedly. He ran a shaky hand through his hair, causing it to stand on end. "How can that be? Is that even _possible_?"

_No. It's not_, a small voice reasoned in the back of his mind. _Second Life doesn't allow you to switch genders. It's impossible. You've read the rules on the website._

"But…then _how_?" If Feng Lan was Prince, then everything he'd figured out so far would make sense. Prince and Feng Lan both referred to Ling Bin as Zhuo-gege. That was the first clue. On top of that, Ling Bin was overly protective of both individuals. Not to mention the two had strikingly similar mannerisms and shared the same unusual personality traits. Lastly—Professor Min paled, why hadn't he thought of this before?—Prince physically resembled Yang Ming. But Yang Ming was Wu Qing so Feng Lan was logically the next suspect as his twin. The only thing marring his conclusion was her gender. "Feng Lan is a girl, right?"

It was time to pay a visit to the school physician's office. Maybe this time he'd receive some _real _answers from his dear, old friend doctor Li Tian Lang.

**~o~0~o~**

The doctor looked up to the sight of Gui nearly breaking down the infirmary door in his haste to get in. The younger man wheezed something out.

"Come again?" Tiang Lang appeared vaguely amused.

"Feng Lan," Gui panted again. "I need to see her medical records."

Tiang Lang frowned. "That is restricted and confidential information. Did something happen? Where is Ms. Lan? Isn't she supposed to be serving detention with you right now?"

"This is a life or death situation, Wolf-ge! I need to see those records!" Gui pleaded.

Tiang Lang looked alarmed. "What's going on? Is she hurt? Do I need to call an ambulance?"

"No! I…I…" Gui couldn't seem to catch his breath. Tian Lang waited patiently while Gui collapsed into a chair and his breathing slowed. He suddenly realized something and glanced at the doctor suspiciously. "Wolf-ge, were you lying when you said Feng Lan was late for class because of her period?"

Tian Lang was surprised. Was Gui finally not being dense? Or was he just looking for another reason to punish Feng Lan? "Why should it matter?" he eyed the professor dubiously. "She was here in my office for personal matters. That's all you really need to know."

Professor Min gritted his teeth and stood up to lean menacingly over the seated doctor. "Wolf-ge, you are hiding something from me."

Tian Lang smirked. Oh? So Gui was finally starting to put two and two together?

"Gui, why the sudden interest in Feng Lan? This is unusual." Tian Lang continued to play the oblivious card as he leaned farther back into his chair. "Did something happen recently?"

"Why are you dodging my questions?" Gui slammed his hands down on the table that divided them.

Tian Lang considered his friend for a moment. Gui had been through a whirlwind of emotions lately and was likely reaching his wits end. As much as he wanted to continue teasing the professor, he felt now was not the time. "Fine. You're correct. I was lying," he came clean. "She didn't have her period."

Gui's jaw dropped. Did that mean…

"But she's come into the office for it before. And for her birth control pills," the doctor clarified with immense satisfaction.

Gui blanched. Tiang Lang had just given him far more information than he ever needed to know about his student.

"So Feng Lan is…"

"A fully matured woman?" Tian Lang finished for him. "Physically, yes."

"Ah…I see. Er…no! That's not what I was asking." Why did Tian Lang seem to derive so much satisfaction from making him uncomfortable? He saw that damned twinkle in the doctor's eyes at his uneasiness at the turn in the conversation. "Right," Gui cleared his throat awkwardly. "I forgot why I was here. I guess I'll be going then."

Tian Lang smiled. "Did you still need to see her records?"

"Nope," he managed to squeak out. "I'm good." He turned to leave but just as his foot crossed the door's threshold the doctor threw in his final comment.

"Oh, and Gui?" The man in question turned around. "You're overanalyzing things."

Tian Lang smirked as he closed the door in Gui's face.

Gui stood in shock for a moment before he began pounding on the door furiously. "Wolf-ge, just how much do you actually know?" he hollered through the closed door.

"Enough to know that Feng Lan's leaving from detention soon and you'll have to hurry if you want to catch her in time."

The professor cursed as he glanced at his watch and took off running. Leave it to Wolf-ge to sidestep that conversation. He made a mental note to track down Ugly Wolf in-game and force him to spill all his deepest, darkest secrets and find out what exactly he knew about Prince. Some friend he was! But now was not the time to think about such things. He needed to get to his office quickly. He had to catch Feng Lan before she left.

He slowed as he neared his office door and burst through it to find an empty room. "Feng Lan," he called rapidly. "Where are—"

He paused as he spied a note on his desk. It was addressed to him in delicate, looping handwriting. He unfolded the letter and read it with baited breath.

_Dear Professor Min—_

_I apologize for leaving before you returned. I wasn't sure how long you would be. I waited a couple extra minutes but as detention already cuts into my study time I couldn't wait longer than necessary. I hope you understand._

_I lied about my screen name so please don't try looking for me online. Second Life began as a way for me to be self-sufficient on my own and away from everyone else that I knew in real life. It's a bit more complicated now, but that was my original desire._

_I know it's rude to request this but please don't ask me anymore about Second Life. See you tomorrow~_

_-Lan_

**~0~o~0~**_  
_

* * *

A/N: There are only 1-2 more chapters after this! :O (At least that's the current plan, who knows what will happen when I finally write everything out!)

The 100th reviewer for this story (**LarkasBlessing122291**) finally received their bonus story earlier in the week and gave me permission to post it publicly so be on the lookout for it soon. Should this story somehow hit 200 reviews before completion I will also write a special request story for the 200th reviewer.

No preview for the next chapter yet. I won't say too much, other than my favorite NPC makes an appearance. :)

Thanks so much for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: 1/2 Prince belongs to Yu Wo.

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Ratatouille, the best rat ever, who unexpectedly passed away en route to my fieldsite. You are missed!

For those of you that like Meatbun, pet rats are the way to go. They are extraordinarily cute, highly intelligent, and extremely sociable. Ratatouille's favorite past times were snuggling and eating. He could shoulder-ride, knew his name, and always looked excited when I walked into the room after class. Even up to his last moments he never looked at me with anything except happiness and unconditional love.

Why did you have to go? (;_;)

Congratulations to **NarutoNineTailFox** for being the 200th reviewer! I will contact you shortly regarding a special prize story so start thinking about what you want it to be about. :D And also a special shout-out to **Kittychan H** for being the 100th person to add this story to their favorite stories list. In all my wildest dreams I never imagined any of my stories would receive such popularity. (^^)

As always, special thanks to my beloved beta-reader **Astroelvengoddess**. I adore you.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

Gui reread the note at home for the fortieth time before finally crumpling it in his hands. The detention. Prince's late arrivals. Ling Bin. Feng Lan's request. Was it all just a coincidence?

"_You're overanalyzing things."_ The doctor's voice repeated in his head.

And yet somehow, the one wrench in his theory was Second Life's inability to gender-bend. Why couldn't he seem to overlook that?

He paused as he began to reach for his gaming helmet. Could he do this? Could he act normal around Prince? With resolve he slammed the helmet onto his head and felt himself disappear into Second Life.

**~o~0~o~**

In her own home, Feng Lan too looked uncertainly at her gaming helmet. She knew she had either done the right thing or completely screwed herself over by leaving Professor Min that note. After he'd left the room, she'd barely accomplished anything. She'd stared at the floor wordlessly mulling over everything and trying to figure out what to do. The professor seemed oddly suspicious of her and there was no denying now her infatuation with the teacher. With any luck the note would stop him from asking more questions, but she knew she'd taken a risk by admitting the falseness of the screen name she'd provided.

She ran a hand over her face and sighed. How could she act normally around Gui? Would he confront her in Second Life? She heard Yang Ming give a sudden yell from the other room.

"Aaaahhhhhhhh, Pixie Boss!"

She sweatdropped upon realizing he was already in-game. As she heard him continue to mutter under his breath she jammed her helmet onto her head to rush into battle and help her teammates.

Prince appeared in the Infinite Courtyard and immediately sent a message over the team channel. **"Where are you guys?"**

"**At the giant mushroom patch in the Western forest," **came Yu Lian's hurried reply.

"**Don't come, Prince!" **Lolidragon messaged. Prince hesitated a moment. The fight with the boss couldn't be that bad, could it? He wanted to help them and he was itching for battle. He sweatdropped at Lolidragon's next message. **"You'll never find the way!"**

"I don't understand why they would leave without us," a voice behind Prince startled the elf so badly he screamed aloud.

"WAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Sharp bursts of light appeared at the Rebirthing Point, distracting him from the sudden appearance of the demon bard. Doll stumbled out crying. "Prince-gege!" she ran sobbing into the elf's arms. Wu Qing followed looking sullen.

"**Fall back!"** Yu Lian's voice ordered over the team channel.

Prince flashed Wu Qing a worried look. "Kenshin and Sunshine?"

Wu Qing shrugged his shoulders. "They were there but I'd be surprised if anyone makes it out alive."

Prince's eyes widened. _No_. He couldn't afford to lose those two. He bit his nails frantically in worry. **"Get out of there!" **He immediately PMed Kenshin.

Doll looked up at Prince with watery eyes. "We just wanted to level up for Prince-gege!" she began wailing. "We wanted to be strong for you!"

Wu Qing scoffed. "More like we were bored and getting frustrated from your late log-ins!"

"That's not my fault!" Prince yelled back.

Gui opened his mouth and shut it against his better judgment. His insides were screaming for him to call Prince out and to ask his reasons for being late to Second Life this past week. But the elf already appeared stressed over his teammates' current predicament. Doll sniffed lightly into Prince's shoulder. Prince patted her on the head attempting to console her as the minutes ticked by and the team channel remained strangely silent.

"Prince!" Lolidragon's voice suddenly came from above. Everyone looked up to see Lolidragon and the rest of the Odd Squad, including Kenshin and Sunshine, sitting upon Sunshine's flying carpet. Lolidragon waved furiously, eyes gleaming, hair askew, and oddly enough sparkling in the sun. In fact, everyone on the carpet seemed to be glowing. Prince squinted his eyes at the sight.

Sunshine brought the carpet down and Kenshin disembarked first. His displeased frown did not match his shining face and sparkling hair. Doll giggled and ran over to Yu Lian and an extremely glittery Ugly Wolf.

"Pretty!" the little girl cried.

Kenshin glared. Prince gaped. "What happened?" he hardly dared to ask.

"The Pixie Boss' special attack," Kenshin uttered in disdain as he attempted to shake loose some of the glitter attached to his face. "It was quite…illuminating." Prince couldn't tell if Kenshin was trying to make a joke but the angry look on his face suggested he was dead serious. Prince swallowed hard as he tried not to laugh. Kenshin continued looking murderous. "I could've defeated him."

Lolidragon hopped off the carpet. "No," she shook her head, "you couldn't. We just barely caught the tail end of the attack. Any closer and we all would've been sent to the Rebirthing Point."

Prince paled at her words and he turned to yell at Kenshin. "Don't you scare me like that! We can't afford to lose you. _I_ can't afford to lose you."

The words made Gui's blood boil in jealousy. "Prince," he cut in, icy words tearing through the air. "We need to talk."

"Now is not the time!" Prince retorted angrily, still shaken up by Kenshin's near demise, and unaware of the chilly tone in the bard's voice. Gui grabbed Prince by the arm. "Ergh, let go of me!"

"Gui!" Ugly Wolf began to reprimand.

Gui narrowed his eyes at the beast man. "_You_ of all people owe this to me." Ugly Wolf's mouth snapped shut. Everyone stared at the tense scene before them.

Wu Qing stepped in and gently disentangled Prince from Gui's grasp in a classic move used by protective brother's everywhere. "But I don't owe you anything. Leave Prince alone."

Prince stared wide-eyed at the bard in a way completely reminiscent of Feng Lan's wide-eyed stare earlier in Professor Min's office. Prince looked so fragile, like a girl, and he clung to Wu Qing like a sister might cling to her brother. Gui's head began spinning. "I'm sorry," he shut his eyes and pressed a hand to this throbbing temple. "I'm not feeling the best." He took a step back and stumbled slightly.

"Gui!" Prince couldn't keep himself from crying out and ran to catch the bard. Kenshin beat him to it. The NPC looked displeased with the situation as Gui leaned onto him for support. Prince bit his lip nervously.

"You should probably take him to the infirmary," Yu Lian finally spoke, "and let him lay down for a while."

Gui shook his head. "My room is just fine, and I can get there myself." He attempted to break free of Kenshin's strong grip but the NPC held firm.

"I'll go with you," Prince declared but stopped his forward trek short at the warning glare on Kenshin's face. He swallowed nervously. "Kenshin?"

"Don't trouble yourself," Kenshin muttered and tugged Gui forward to get him moving. Gui protested slightly as the NPC continued to drag him away.

"How much longer are you logging in late?" Lolidragon turned to inquire at Prince.

"Tomorrow's the last day," Prince responded quietly.

The words were not lost upon Gui.

**~o~0~o~**

After everyone else had departed, Prince sauntered up to his second NPC pet. "Sunshine," he gazed at the NPC in worry. "Has Kenshin been acting…unusual lately?"

Sunshine put a finger to his mouth in thought. "He's been a bit angrier than usual, but he seems fine except for when you're around."

Prince scrunched up his face in confusion. "Me?" the elf pointed to himself in astonishment. "What's different?"

"You've posed a bit of a quandary for Kenshin, I suspect," Sunshine mused.

Prince cocked his head to the side. "I don't understand."

Sunshine shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "I don't understand either, but I think Kenshin is confused about something concerning you."

Prince frowned. _Confused? Why would Kenshin be confused?_ "Has he said anything to you?"

"Nope," Sunshine continued smiling and his face turned thoughtful for a moment. "But he's been analyzing you ever since your journey from the ice caves."

Prince scratched the back of his head as he pondered. _Hmm, how odd_. What could it be? Prince decided he would have to talk to Kenshin later in private. "Thanks for your information, Sunshine," Prince spoke with gratitude. "I suppose I'll just have to talk to Kenshin myself."

Sunshine smiled and waved as Prince walked away. He turned his head to the side as he watched the elf walk out of sight. Kenshin hadn't said anything to him, but he'd overhead the NPC muttering after Prince's angry return from the ice caves. If what Kenshin had muttered was true, Prince's behavior in general would make more sense in some ways and less in others. Sunshine paused to think for a moment before finally giving in to the truth uncovered by his friend. _If Prince really is a girl in real life, he sure is an awfully violent one_.

**~o~0~o~**

Kenshin pushed Gui into the bard's room. "Take it easy!" Gui grumbled as he made his way to his bed. "I'm _ill_, you know."

Kenshin narrowed his eyes. How did this demon bard think he could just grab Prince whenever he wanted? Didn't he realize the liege lord was fragile?

Kenshin shook his head in confusion again. No, that's not right. Yes, Prince was significantly weaker in strength than both himself and Sunshine, but he never started being overprotective of the elf until he'd heard the strange conversation between Lolidragon and Prince. So what if Prince was a girl outside of Second Life? That didn't change the fact that he was male in Second Life and one of the most feared players on top of that.

Even though Kenshin knew his own personal back story was false, he couldn't stop thinking of the pain shot through his body upon remembering the sadness in Kaoru's face upon leaving her, the sadness etched in such fine feminine detail. Prince had been incredibly understanding of Kenshin's own sadness when confronting her grave. Was that normal for a man? No, it wasn't. Normally, a man would not be as sympathetic.

And the look on Prince's face just moments ago when Gui had grabbed him…it was just like the frightened look on Kaoru's delicate face when Kenshin went off to battle. Prince looked at Gui the same way Kaoru had once looked at him. He'd been doing so for the last several days. No man could ever mimic the look of a girl's face when she was in love, but Prince did so perfectly.

"Do not hurt Prince," Kenshin warned the bard as he turned to leave the room.

Gui gave a dry laugh, stopping the NPC prematurely. Kenshin turned around to glare. Did the bard think this was all a game? He turned to find Gui sitting on the floor staring morosely at his feet. A pained expression crossed the bard's face. "I don't want to," Gui's voice cracked as he spoke. "I never did. Hurting Prince is the last thing I want to do.

Kenshin let the faintest smile slip. Hadn't he said the same thing about Kaoru? Well, not really since everything about him was a program. But it felt so real. The emotions were all there. How could emotions be programmed to be felt so strongly? Is this what love felt like for everyone, including players? Kenshin paused for a moment. He didn't know how many players knew about Prince's secret and he wasn't really programmed to lie. For some reason the knowledge that Prince was female made him view the elf in a completely different light. He never wanted to see Kaoru cry. He never wanted to see any girl cry. Not one he cared about anyway.

"Prince seems rather…delicate," Kenshin replied lightly. "He hurts easily, like a girl."

Gui couldn't help himself. It was like Kenshin was leading him on. "Are you calling his highness a girl?" Kenshin considered the bard for a moment. Gui didn't seem to know about Prince's true identity but the suspicion was hidden deep in the tone of his voice. Kenshin also knew the bard followed Prince around to the point of annoyance and from what Lolidragon had said earlier it sounded like the two were acquainted outside of Second Life as well.

"Yes," Kenshin finally answered smugly, pleased that for once he seemed to know more about a situation than a player. He'd been extremely sullen after Lolidragon had just so nonchalantly admitted Prince's gender. He'd been upset that he and Sunshine might be the last to know. However, Gui's suspicion confirmed that very few individuals were privy to this information, even those that appeared to know Prince's counterpart in real life. Kenshin turned to walk away, highly satisfied with the turn in events. "I am."

Gui cried out and leapt to his feet. "Wait!" he shouted to Kenshin in a voice that betrayed his troubled and confused state. "Are you really saying that Prince is a girl?"

"Prince is male," Kenshin replied. He paused for a moment, "at least in Second Life."

Gui's legs buckled under him and he fell to the floor as Kenshin walked away. Was it true? Was Feng Lan really Prince? Kenshin had just confirmed Prince's masculinity in-game but he'd hinted at the question of Prince's gender in real life.

He remembered Feng Lan's message. She asked him not to talk to her anymore about Second Life. He smirked suddenly. But there was nothing stopping him from talking to Prince. And if that didn't work out there was always the visit he owed to a specific wolf beast man.

**~o~0~o~**

Ugly Wolf felt a chill run down his spine as he crossed the hall. Quiet footsteps echoed his own. He paused for a moment. The footsteps paused too. He took one step. Down the hallway someone else stepped too. Ugly Wolf began to pick up his pace and heard his assailant down the hall break into a full-out run. The wolf beast man began sprinting.

"Wolf-ge, you can't outrun me!" Gui's voice called from behind.

Ugly Wolf merely grunted. He knew Gui outmatched him in both agility and speed and he wasn't going to waste his precious breath on a response and risk losing whatever distance he had on Gui so far. He spied a door at the end of the hall. It led to the kitchen area and Ugly Wolf knew for a fact the door had been equipped with a locking mechanism. Yu Lian had it installed to deter Prince from eating the city's budget worth of food in record-breaking time. If he could just make it there, he could probably lock the door and escape out the other side before Gui had a chance to catch up to him through other passageways. Ugly Wolf took a deep breath and threw everything he had into reaching the door. The gap closed slowly: 30m…20m…10…9…8…

With a loud 'oof' Gui tackled Ugly Wolf to the ground and a scuffle ensued. Ugly Wolf had the greater strength but Gui with his agility managed to flip the beast man onto his back and pin the man to the floor. Gui sat astride him with a menacing gleam in his eyes and leaned over to glare directly into the older man's eyes. "Talk. What do you know about Prince?"

Before Ugly Wolf could open his mouth, the kitchen door swung open. Prince appeared in the hallway with Meatbun on his head and both elf and pet had rounded cheeks packed with food. Prince caught sight of the suggestive scene before him and immediately began choking. "You…you…pervert!" the elf pointed at Gui who belatedly realized his compromising position sitting astride Ugly Wolf and immediately began to scramble off. Prince quickly stashed a confused Meatbun into his pouch while muttering something about protecting his pet's "innocence."

"It's not what it looks like!" Gui protested and he attempted to put as much distance between himself and the beast man. "My heart belongs only to you!"

Ugly Wolf slowly sat up, massaging his shoulders and making sure Gui didn't hurt him too terribly in the fall. He laughed at Prince's response. "You really do only like guys, don't you? It doesn't matter as long as they have a—"

Prince clapped a hand over his mouth before he could finish that statement but Gui had already figured out where it was going. Prince had looked suggestively at Gui's nether regions and immediately turned bright red.

"That's not true!" Gui responded angrily.

"May I…um…leave?" Ugly Wolf began inching down the hallway.

"No!" Both Gui and Prince responded simultaneously.

Prince turned to glare at Gui for the response. "Why don't you want him to leave? So you can finish your…erm…whatever it is that I interrupted!" He made a face at the thought.

"You idiot. I told you that's not what it looked like."

"Well maybe next time you two should get a room!"

"I'm just going to leave now," Ugly Wolf spoke to no one in particular and escaped down the hallway as the bard and elf continued to bicker.

Prince continued yelling. "You only like guys! Why do you only like guys? What about a personality? Why doesn't that matter?"

"Of course it matters to me, Prince!" Gui shouted back. "You're the first and only guy I've ever liked!"

Both stood panting heavily from the force of yelling at each other. Prince shook his head in confusion. "What? What did you just say?"

Gui closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Is that what the problem was the whole time? Did Prince really think Gui only cared about gender and looks? Prince gulped as Gui took a determined step forward. "Gui, you…what are you…" His heart pattered rapidly as Gui slowly advanced. Prince breathed heavily as Gui reached out to tenderly brush a strand of hair away from his face.

"Silly, I love all of you. Entirely," Gui declared with passion.

Prince flushed deeply from the tips of his ears to the tips of his toes. His voice wavered in despair and uncertainty. "You can't possibly…"

As he began to protest Gui leaned in to whisper, effectively causing the boy to lose his train of thought entirely. Prince's heart was practically beating out of his chest as Gui's lips ghosted against his ear, sending shivers down his spine. "I want to give you a proper kiss. But when I do, I want to give it to your real-life counterpart first." A beautiful red stained Prince's cheeks. "I want to prove to you that I love more than just the you in-game. I love every bit of you. I want every part of you."

Prince thought about the events of the past week. One week. It seemed so short, yet the events were so monumental that Gui's drunken disaster seemed worlds away. He remembered the way Professor Min treated her outside of the game. At the beginning, he was overly harsh. Then something changed. He was nicer. And then…Prince blushed upon remembering when Gui had cornered her in the office. "Do you know?" Prince found himself asking and his voice shook with anxiety. "Do you know who I am, Professor?"

Gui ruffled the top of Prince's head and smiled. "I think so," he ventured sheepishly. "I'm almost certain. And if it turns out to be anyone other than the person I'm thinking of, I will be sorely disappointed."

Prince continued to eye Gui dubiously. "You're sure you won't regret anything? What if I don't match up to all your expectations of me in-game?" He indicated to his entire body. "What if I'm not who you think I am? What if I'm…"

"Not a boy?" Gui supplied with baited breath. He watched as Prince goggled at him. The elf sputtered.

"Er…what! Yes—I mean no! I mean—"

"Don't be silly, Prince." That was the final confirmation Gui needed. He'd locked on to Prince's true identity without a doubt. "Gender is irrelevant. And if you must know, I've always fancied women. You were the one exception."

Prince gaped at the man before him. "You idiot!" he cried, looking unexpectedly hurt, which surprised Gui. "You led me to believe all this time that you were gay! How could you?"

Gui didn't quite know what to say. This was not the response he was expecting. He thought Prince would be delighted with the news he liked women. "I…I don't know…" He was at a loss for words. "Lolidragon found me out. I thought I would just have some fun messing with you at first. Then, I'm not quite sure when it happened, but eventually I realized the teasing had turned into something real. I liked you and it wasn't a joke anymore."

Prince looked beyond hurt. He was crushed. "I started out as a joke for you?" he managed to choke out.

"Prince, in the beginning I didn't realize how truly wonderful you are," Gui began.

"How _could_ you?" Prince cried before Gui could get another word in. "How could you just toy with my emotions like that?"

"Prince…" Gui didn't know how to comfort the distressed elf. "I love you now. Isn't that what matters?"

"I was just a joke…" Prince continued to mutter as he ran a hand through his silver hair. "I'm such a fool."

"Prince, it's not like that anymore," Gui pleaded desperately. He didn't know how else to respond.

"Find someone else, Guilliastes. I'm done." Prince answered harshly. Tears threatened to spill from his blood-red eyes but he refused to let them fall while the bard was still in the vicinity. "I'm leaving."

"Prince!" Gui called after the elf as he turned away. "Prince!"

Prince continued to walk away. Gui pulled out a risky final attack.

"Feng Lan, you still have detention with me tomorrow!"

Prince stopped short and turned to glare. "Then I guess I'll see you tomorrow, _Professor_."

Gui sank to the ground as the elf turned to flee. "Feng Lan…" he murmured as Prince disappeared around the corner. No! This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Where was his happily ever after? He pounded his fist against the ground in frustration. How could it end like this? It couldn't.

With determination, Gui got to his feet and went racing down the hall after the Blood Elf. He rounded the corner, nearly crashing into Lolidragon. "Gui!" she called frantically. "What's going on?"

"Prince," Gui shouted back as he continued running, "I've got to—"

"Prince just logged out," Lolidragon interrupted him before he could say any more. He slowed to a halt and his shoulders sagged. The thief eyed Gui half in worry and half in anger. "He was crying. What did you do?"

Gui hung his head in shame. "I'm an idiot," he whispered quietly. "I figured out who Prince is in real life and I finally told him I wasn't actually gay."

Lolidragon gave him a sympathetic look and then whapped him hard on the shoulder. "You are an idiot."

"Ow! Hey!" Gui jumped back before she could strike him again.

"Prince always liked you," Lolidragon bluntly admitted. "But he always held back because of your supposed orientation."

Gui sputtered. "What? When? Why didn't I know?"

Lolidragon rolled her eyes. "Honestly, how did you always view and treat Prince?"

Gui shook his head. "I don't…"

"Like a boy," Lolidragon answered for him, sounding a little harsh. "Like the happily smiling, completely oblivious boy that he is in-game, which was fine until you two started interacting more in real life."

"Lolidragon…" Gui eyed the hidden GM warily. How did she seem to know all this? It didn't make sense, but then again she was Prince's first teammate. And she spoke as if she knew Prince's true identity. He never would've guessed. "How much do you know about Prince?"

"I'm the GM that created Prince," Lolidragon crossed her arms and smiled smugly. "At least his physical appearance. His body is absolute perfection." Her eyes sparkled with tiny hearts.

Gui frowned at the knowledge. So this woman knew all along. He began ticking off the list of people that probably knew Prince's secret: Lolidragon, Kenshin, Wu Qing, Wicked, Ugly Wolf, Jing, Yun. Gui grew sullen as the list continued to grow so he turned his attention back to Lolidragon. "He may be attractive, but that's not why I—"

"Like Prince?" she supplied with an amused twinkle in her eye.

Gui looked at her slightly outraged at the thought that he only liked Prince for his good looks. "Of course!" he answered heatedly. "If it had been anyone other than Feng Lan in that body, I wouldn't be feeling the same way."

Lolidragon smiled at him like he'd just given the perfect answer on a difficult examination. "Then you should tell her."

"But…I thought I just did," Gui had a hopeless tone in his voice. "And I told her the truth about acting when we first met."

Lolidragon shook her head in disapproval. "All she ever hears is Prince this and Prince that. She likes you, Gui. You have to make it clear. You started out teasing Prince as a joke. But who do you actually love? Prince or the girl behind the elf?"

"Aren't they the same?" Gui answered weakly.

Lolidragon whapped him hard until Gui cowered away again. "Technically, yes. But that's not what a girl wants to hear. Especially one that has so successfully resisted the bard in-game but fallen for the real-life professor." Lolidragon winked.

Gui glanced up, eyes gleaming in hope. "You mean to say…"

"You kissing Prince last week might have set everything into motion, but the thing that really set everything off was Prince spending more time with you in real life. His demeanor completely changed once he started spending detentions with you."

Gui's face softened as everything clicked into place. That's why Prince always looked so sad. It didn't matter how much Gui fawned over the elf or expressed his emotions for the boy when the one that really mattered was Feng Lan. And the way he'd treated the girl this past week…he felt awful for not recognizing her sooner. He ran a hand down his face and laughed despondently. "I really am an idiot, aren't I?"

"And they say you're supposedly a genius," Lolidragon jibed. She shook her head and playfully teased. "Well, Gui, you'd better use your IQ of 200 and go after the girl you love."

Gui nodded his head in affirmation and turned to log off. Lolidragon narrowed her eyes as Gui began to disappear. "If Prince is not happy when he logs in tomorrow, there will be hell to pay," she warned merrily, sending icy chills down Gui's spine.

He shivered and opened his eyes to stare at his bedroom ceiling. He took off his gaming helmet and sat on the edge of his bed thinking deeply. "You and everyone else," he murmured quietly, before getting up and heading to the bathroom for a shower. It was only 4am but Gui Wen already knew that it would be impossible to fall back asleep. It was going to take everything he had to make it through the day and confront Feng Lan in her final detention. It was his last chance to spend extended time with her in real life, and if he blew it now, it was all over.

"_Who do you actually love? Prince or the girl behind the elf?"_

The answer was so stunningly obvious he didn't even know why the question had to be asked. He loved Feng Lan. That wasn't a joke and it was time to finally let her know in person.

**~0~o~0~**

* * *

A/N: Omg, how amazing was the lastest 1/2 Prince manhua chapter? I was on the edge of my seat the whole time reading! Sadly no preview for the next chapter since its so close to the end. I will be busy with fieldwork, my part-time job, and aaaaahhhhh Harry Potter final movie release for the remainder of this week so the next update won't happen for at least another week and a half.

Til next time, everyone!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: 1/2 Prince belongs to Yu Wo.

A/N: This is it people! The final chapter! :O

I feel like I can't say it enough, but thank you thank you thank you to everyone that has reviewed my story. Some of you have been faithfully reviewing since the beginning and I really do appreciate all the comments, words of advice, and constructive criticism.

Instead of a special story, **NarutoNineTailFox** received a special scene request in this final chapter. The prompts included: GuixPrince fluff, Meatbun/Firephoenix, and kiss. So be on the lookout for that.

As always, special thanks to my most precious beta-reader, **Astroelvengoddess**. She is definitely the Tian Lang to my Feng Lan.

Enough rambling. Please enjoy the final chapter of _Stolen Kisses_!

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

Min Gui Wen couldn't hide the anxiety in his eyes as he entered the lecture hall. He scanned the rows of students seated before him looking for one particular face. Instead he was greeted with three sets of glaring eyes: Yang Ming, Lu Jing, and Yun Fei. Feng Lan was absent. He slumped down in his seat and stared dazedly at a spot on his desk. As more students continued to file in, he was greeted by several different female voices all wishing him a cheery good morning. He continued to stare despondently at his desk and ignored all their greetings. None of them were Feng Lan and he couldn't help but counter each individual greeting in his head. This morning was anything but good.

When the bell rang, Gui Wen tore his eyes away from the spot that had served as his focal point for the past five minutes and forced himself into standing position. He scanned the room once more, but Feng Lan had never showed up. With overwhelming willpower, Professor Min forced a smile upon his face causing half of the female student population in the room to sigh dreamily as he began his lecture.

**~o~0~o~**

Feng Lan was hiding out in the school's clinic. She'd been there for the past four hours and even though class ended well over two hours ago she refused to budge. Doctor Li Tian Lang gave a heavy sigh. "Ms. Lan, you cannot stay here the entire day."

"Eh?" she looked up at him distractedly. Her eyes turned large and she stared so innocently it was like her gaze was piercing his soul. "But Wolf-dage, I'm _ill_. You can't turn away a sick person."

Tiang Lang patted her on the head as if she were a child. "Yes, you've got the worst case of cold feet I've seen in years. It's devastating. You should do something about that before it becomes permanent."

Feng Lan's eyes narrowed. "Ha, ha, Wolf-dage, very funny," she said with a hint of sarcasm. "It's not my fault that Gui has made this day insufferable." He gave her a pointed look to which she rolled her eyes. "Ok, well maybe it is just a little, but I do not take blame for the idiotic things he says."

"Feng Lan," Tian Lang silenced the girl. "That man loves you."

Feng Lan's eyes filled with an indescribable emotion—a strange combination of pain, anger, desire, and hope—before hardening and turning back to the doctor. "He loves Prince. Not me."

Tiang Lang laughed in response. "Don't be dense. If he only loved Prince why would he have looked for Prince's counterpart outside of the game?"

"I don't know!" Feng Lan cried. "Because he's a sadist."

"Because he loves the person behind Prince."

"No," Feng Lan shook her head resolutely. "He doesn't. He and I have even been on a date once. He's never been anything but teasing or spiteful towards me."

"Feng Lan…"

"What part of 'he said I was a joke' didn't you understand?"

"Ms. Lan," Tian Lang reprimanded sternly, sounding the slightest bit like his wife in-game. "Quit being dramatic and listen." Feng Lan promptly shut her mouth, a bit stunned by the change in the doctor's usually calm and placid demeanor. "Did it ever occur to you that despite Gui's unsavory reasons for attaching himself to you in the first place that he's actually telling the truth when he says he loves you?"

"Yes, but he—"

"How long do you think he fought with himself when he realized he actually liked you? How would you feel if you suddenly realized the person you loved was the same gender as you?"

Feng Lan made a face and shifted on her chair uncomfortably. "That doesn't change the fact that he—"

Tiang Lang held up a hand to stop her sentence short. "That's how you know that he really does love you. Time passed and he grew to know your personality. It takes a lot of courage to confess to the one you love and tell them the truth about everything. Could you do that?"

Feng Lan looked pained. It was like Wolf-dage was reminding her of the fact that she had never willingly admitted to her friends and family that she was the person behind Prince. She'd always been found out and had never been the one to step out and reveal it openly. She didn't know what to say without sounding hypocritical. "Wolf-dage…I…"

"You should at least listen to what Gui has to say," Tiang Lang said. "He tries to act beyond his years because of his high IQ and his status as a professor, but he's really clueless when it comes to matters of the heart. He's almost…immature about it in a way."

Feng Lan scrunched her eyebrows up in confusion. How did this turn around into her being apologetic towards Gui? He's the one who started everything. He's the one who was mean to her. But he's also the one who had always been completely open and honest with her while she remained guarded and secretive about everything. "Wolf-dage…"

A quiet knock sounded on the door and without waiting for an answer the doorknob turned. "Wolf-ge, I—"

The professor's words stopped short as his searing blue eyes locked onto Feng Lan and his breath hitched. The vase in his hands went crashing to the floor and shards of glass scattered across the linoleum tiles. Feng Lan gazed at the piles of broken glass and the bouquet of red roses now lying at the professor's feet. She couldn't stop from opening her mouth to ask the obvious question. "Who are those for?"

She saw the pain and worry and love in Professor Min's eyes and he gazed upon her face as if caught in some terrible dream. He gave a shaky and quiet response as he replied truthfully. "You."

Feng Lan had no response. She just stared. She stared at the roses, she stared at the glass, and then with uncertainty she lifted her face to stare at the professor. He looked so…_broken_. Just like the vase. His eyes seemed to stare at her as if trying to convey some expression that words just couldn't capture. He looked at her as if she was his world, as if he was trapped in the dark and she was his light, as if she was the most precious gem in the universe. Her heart stopped.

"Oh…" Feng Lan finally managed to get out. She continued to stare and said the first thing she could think of, "That's…unfortunate." She indicated to the mess on the floor.

Gui Wen looked even more pained as he gave a bitter smile that did not reach his eyes. "Will you still come to detention tonight?" It wasn't an order. It was a pleaded request, and the tone in Gui's voice reflected his guarded nature so that he wouldn't be hurt by her response.

Feng Lan found herself getting lost in his mesmerizing blue eyes, which looked so hurt and scared right now. If this had all been just a joke, then why was he staring at her as if all his hopes and dreams revolved around her? Why was he looking at her with all the love in the world? It was a look so sincere and pure that she'd never seen anyone stare at her like that before. As far as she could think, even Gui had never dared to look at Prince with such raw expression.

She took a deep breath as she made up her mind. "Yes, of course I'll be there."

Gui Wen smiled for real this time and relief passed across his face. "Don't be late."

"I won't."

Tian Lang smiled at the entire exchange from the corner of his office. Those two were so well-suited for each other it was like fate had placed them together. He hoped that Feng Lan could see that, and he hoped that Gui Wen didn't mess anything else up. He watched as Gui picked up the roses from the ground to hand a single, unblemished one from the fall to Feng Lan before leaving with a curt bow. Feng Lan turned around with a soft smile on her face as she gently fingered the rose in hand before spying the doctor and straightening up suddenly as if she had forgotten he was there.

"Wolf-dage!"

The elder man smiled. "Good choice."

She looked down at her feet and shifted from side to side uncertainly. Her cheeks were flushed from the overwhelming gaze she'd received from Min Gui Wen and the unexpected but very sweet gift of the single rose she now carried. Had she just willingly agreed to detention? Why in all nine hells would she do that? How come she just couldn't seem to think straight when the professor was around? "I don't know what came over me…"

"Young love," Tian Lang shrugged his shoulders and went back to work with a self-satisfied smirk on his handsome face.

Feng Lan sputtered hopelessly. "I can't…no…not possible…"

"Call it what you will, Ms. Lan, but that's what it looks like to me."

Feng Lan frowned. She'd admitted her infatuation with the professor the other day. But love? Really? Even as she continued trying to convince herself otherwise, she somehow knew that Tian Lang was horribly right. What was she going to do in detention now? She moaned in frustration.

"Ms. Lan, I'd appreciate if you swept up the mess your bard just made all over my floor."

"He is NOT my bard!" Feng Lan replied instinctually. Tian Lang only chuckled as the girl gave a disgruntled mumble and proceeded to use her remaining hide-out time to sweep up the remnants of the broken vase and scattered rose stems off the clinic room floor.

**~o~0~o~**

Feng Lan raised her hand to Gui's office to knock, but before her fist could even make contact the door swung open.

"You're here," Gui sounded breathless as he took in her appearance. He seemed almost afraid to blink as if she was an apparition that would vanish at the drop of a hat.

"Yes, I'm here," Feng Lan reassured for no reason.

"Come inside."

Feng Lan took a hesitant step over the threshold. This was it. Her final detention. After this, she could be free…if she wanted. She wasn't sure why she was suddenly having doubts about leaving. Sure the professor had given her roses. That was a very thoughtful gesture. A _very_ thoughtful and romantic gesture. If it had been any other girl in her class, they would have fainted right on the spot. But not her. Nope. She wouldn't fall for that.

He smiled up at her with a hopeful look in his eyes. She felt herself suddenly go weak in the knees. Blast. Stupid feelings.

She took a deep breath to calm her beating heart as she situated herself in front of the bookcase she'd been working on the previous day. If she could just concentrate on the task at hand, this hour would fly by, she would leave, and the two of them could go back to pretending like this entire ordeal never happened. Life could be normal again. Normal and…

"AAAHHHHH!"

She'd felt something warm touch her hand while reaching for the stack of books by her side. She turned her head to the side to see the professor next to her with a terrified look on his face as he held the book she'd been going for in his hand.

"What are you doing?" Feng Lan shrieked angrily.

"Handing you this book?" Gui's voice sounded wary as he tried to assess his current danger level from her anger.

She breathed hard. When had he gotten so close to her? She hadn't even noticed…

"Oh," she said numbly after a prolonged pause. "I didn't realize"

"That much," Gui retorted immediately, "was obvious."

They stared awkwardly at each other for an extended length of time. The professor looked so nervous and scared. It was very unbecoming on him and strange to see on his usually giddy face. Finally, Feng Lan couldn't help it. She cracked a grin and giggled at the sight of a speechless and terrified Gui. The professor goggled at her for a moment before his characteristic idiotic grin broke across his face. He eyed her laughing face lovingly.

"I've never seen you look so frightened before," Feng Lan spoke between giggles.

Gui wondered at how lovely the sound of laughter could sound to one's ears. Feng Lan's sounded like a perfect melody. "You're one to talk," Gui responded teasingly. "A slime could've crept up to you and been halfway through gnawing off your leg before you noticed anything."

Feng Lan suddenly stopped laughing and crossed her arms. "Did you get the letter I wrote to you yesterday?" she asked menacingly.

The letter? What letter? Oh, yes. _Riiiight_. That letter. Gui's mouth parted slightly as he realized his mistake. "That's right. No more talking about Second Life. I'm sorry," he apologized. "I forgot."

Feng Lan bit her lip nervously as she glanced around the room. If they couldn't talk about Second Life, then they definitely couldn't talk about what happened before she'd logged out last night. It relieved her in a way but made her feel oddly uncomfortable in another. The topic hung there like a massive, unspoken elephant in the room.

Professor Min finally broke the silence. "Would you mind if I helped you with the re-shelving?" he asked hesitantly. Then as if requiring some sort of explanation he said hurriedly, "It will go much quicker with two people."

"Oh!" Feng Lan stared at the stack of books piled on the floor and the half-empty bookcase in front of her. She glanced at the clock and saw that 45 minutes remained of her final detention. She looked back at the stack of books and thought through his offer. She knew she'd never finish re-shelving in the designated time, but the thought of Professor Min so close by made her heart race. She swallowed nervously.

"Its fine," she murmured and decided pointedly to ignore the happy grin that immediately spread across Gui's handsome face. He unconsciously sidled closer to her as he gleefully picked up the first book lying on top of the stack. The movement did not go unnoticed by Feng Lan. "But don't get any ideas!" Professor Min gave her a quizzical stare. Feng Lan sighed. "Whatever. Just pass me the next book."

He did so with a cheery smile as Feng Lan tried not to acknowledge the bolt of electricity that shot up her arm when the professor's hand brushed against her own. It was very distracting and she needed to focus on the task at hand. She quelled the butterflies dancing in her stomach and concentrated only on the bookshelf in front of her and forcibly _not_ looking at the professor's face as she handed her book after book.

**~o~0~o~**

With fifteen minutes remaining of detention, Gui Wen finally made his move. "I'd like to take you out tonight."

Feng Lan dropped the book in her hand and turned to him with a fierce look in her eyes. "I told you no more talking about Second Life!"

Professor Min appeared confused. "I didn't say anything about Second Life."

"You asked me to go out. _Tonight_. As in Second Life," Feng Lan repeated with emphasis. "You can't just talk to me in real life like I'm Prince."

Gui held up his hands and shook his head. "Hold on. I didn't say anything about Prince."

"But then why would you—"

"_You_," he reiterated. "You are who I want to take out tonight. After detention."

"Oh." It was now Feng Lan's turn to look confused. The professor was asking her out? But why? Hadn't they already been down that road and met with failure? Then she realized something. _Oh_. "Like a thank-you, right? For helping you with your bookshelves?"

"No," Professor Min gave a lopsided grin as he analyzed her confused expression. It was extremely adorable, not at all like Prince since the elf was male, but holding a special naïveté of its own. "Like a date, Lan. Because I'm in love with you."

The words hung like weights in the air. Feng Lan's eyes only widened and then she looked extremely hurt. "No. No, you don't. You love Prince. Last time we had a date you told me you only loved Prince."

"That's because I didn't know you. I didn't know your personality. That's the part I loved about Prince. And that's the part of you I fell in love with this week from finally spending time together."

Feng Lan's breath hitched. This couldn't be happening. How was this happening? "No!" she cried out. "You're supposed to be mean to me. You _hate_ me."

The professor's eyes softened. "I could never hate you."

"But…but…those words that I said to get me into detention. You looked at me so spitefully then."

"_Prince would never look twice at someone as idiotic and perverse as you_."

The professor's eyes turned cold for a moment upon remembering, then pained. He leaned forward to stare directly into Feng Lan's wide, beautiful brown eyes. Her heart pattered erratically in her chest at his proximity. "Do you still view me, as the professor, the same way? Am I still just idiotic and perverse?"

What kind of question was that? After spending a week with the man, she'd gotten to know him much better. He was snarky and bullheaded but surprisingly kind and gentle when the situation called for it. He somehow seemed a more well-rounded person than the bard she only knew in-game. Feng Lan couldn't stop the words from pouring out of her mouth at her heated denial. "Of course not! You're sarcastic and ignorant and surprisingly charming—"

Gui's mouth suddenly covered her own. It was a light kiss, gentle, and very effective in cutting off her train of thought. He pulled back with a sheepish smile on his face. He looked at her expectantly.

She slowly raised a hand to her mouth as if hardly believing what had just happened. "I…you…"

"Go out with me. I'm asking for a second chance," he stared at her earnestly. "It doesn't matter if you're Prince or not. Either way, you would have grabbed my attention this week, though I do thank the topic of Prince for giving me a reason to spend time with you in the first place."

Feng Lan practically melted at the look Gui Wen was giving her. She uselessly tried to fight one last time. "But you're a professor and I'm your student. Isn't there some sort of rule against that?" she asked weakly.

"I don't care," Professor Min spoke flippantly, but upon seeing the genuine look of worry on Lan's face he added, "but we'll keep it under wraps until it's safe to be open about it." Her worried look softened a bit.

He leaned in closer to her again as a brilliant blush spread across her face. He suddenly looked very nervous again. "So…ah…do you have an answer? Can I take you on a date tonight?" Feng Lan smiled to herself at the words and the professor's nervousness. Perhaps Wolf-dage was right. Gui Wen certainly acted like a middle-school school boy in these sorts of situations and the innocent look on his face made him incredibly hard to resist. He was already taking her breath away by how handsome his features were up-close.

She giggled and with surprising boldness closed the small gap between them. He gasped as her lips met his own and he immediately pulled her closer to him. Kissing her was like standing in a fresh spring rain. Refreshing. Light. Carefree. _Wonderful_.

"Can I take that as a yes?" he asked after a short while and smiled teasingly.

She punched him in the gut. He didn't even make an 'oofing' sound and she had to hide her surprise at the feeling of her fist contacting with his incredibly well-toned abs. With all the armor Gui wore in-game, she'd never experienced such a predicament before. She chose instead to focus on how she wished she had the strength she did in-game to keep the heated blush from rising on her face. "If that answer wasn't obvious, then you really are an idiot."

He merely grinned and pulled her in for the sweetest kiss possible.

**~o~0~o~**

Days went by and Prince was never sure how to act around Gui in-game. The professor had kept true to his word and never brought up Second Life when they spent time together in real life. Gui had somehow managed to act extremely normal with Prince in Second Life as well to the point where everyone, including Prince, was starting to wonder if something was up. All the tension that had occurred between the two in previous days had suddenly seemed to vanish and it left the elf feeling terribly confused.

"Your highness!" Gui immediately cried and launched himself toward the recently logged-in elf. "You have arrived!"

Prince's hand twitched. Why was this man acting like nothing had ever occurred between them? Hadn't he just been kissing her senseless in the office only hours ago? He felt Gui latch onto him in an overly cheerful way. In a completely _normal_ and annoying way that was their routine in Second Life. "Get off me!" Prince roared in fury as he threw the bard off.

This, too, seemed to solidify their normal routine to any passing outsider. It certainly seemed to solidify it for Gui. "But my lord! Every moment with you warms my heart with the fire of a thousand suns. Who can resist your presence and utmost grace?"

Prince's eyes narrowed. Now it almost felt like Gui was cheating on him with himself. Wasn't that ironic? "You idiot," the Blood Elf seethed. The members of the Odd Squad that were in the vicinity (Lolidragon, Doll, and Yu Lian) raised their eyebrows and slowly backed away. They recognized that look. It was the look Prince usually obtained before viciously murdering an opponent.

Gui recognized the look too. "Prince?" he uttered weakly.

Prince was just barely able to contain himself. He grabbed the bard by the collar and dragged him away. "You and I need to talk."

"Your highness!"

Lolidragon, Doll, and Yu Lian heard Gui squeaking down the hall and his vague cry for help. Yu Lian sighed, "Sounds like he's in for a hard beating this time."

"Prince-gege won't hurt him too much right?" Doll queried.

"I hardly think so," Lolidragon snorted. She'd watched as Prince grew increasingly frustrated over the past several days as Gui acted normally around them and especially around Prince. Something had happened in the real world. Lolidragon would bet her life on it. She crossed her arms and smirked. It was only a matter of time before the city would be abuzz with the news that their dear liege lord had finally fallen for the flamboyantly gay and irresistibly handsome bard. She couldn't wait for all hell to break loose.

**~o~0~o~**

Prince dragged Gui up the stairs and into his bedroom. He threw Gui to the ground and slammed the door shut. "What do you think you're doing?" the elf whirled around angrily.

Gui sat up slowly, nursing his left elbow. "Nothing!" the bard exclaimed. "I didn't do anything."

Prince put a hand to his temple in frustration. It _was_ true. Gui hadn't done anything. He was just acting as he always did.

"Why are you still throwing yourself at me?"

Gui looked confused. "Because that's what I always do?"

"But you have a girlfriend now!" Prince argued.

Gui suddenly smirked. "But you are my girlfriend."

"Argh! No! Not in Second Life."

"And that's why I'm acting normally around you," the bard replied. "I thought you wanted to separate both worlds."

"Yes!" Prince exclaimed. "I mean no. I mean…I don't really know what to do." His shoulders slumped. Gui looked up at him in concern. "I just get…really irritated that you act like there's nothing going on between us. And then I get irrationally upset thinking that maybe you do still like Prince more than you like the real me."

Gui gaped. "That's not true! Feng Lan, your real self comes first to me. But if you'd let me, I'd love the you as Prince just as much but never more."

Prince sat down hard on his bed. He buried his face in his hands. "I thought you'd say something like that."

Gui knelt down in front of him. With one finger under the elf's chin, he gently raised Prince's face to look him directly head-on. "What is it that you want?"

Prince shook his head. "I don't know! I mean, wouldn't it be weird for you to have feelings for two completely different people?"

Gui looked worried. "Am I two different people to you?"

"No," Prince buried his face in his hands again. "I am," he muttered against the skin of his palms.

Gui laughed. "Don't be silly. You're the same person to me, no matter how you look. Boy or girl. I just love you."

Prince poked a blood-red eye out from between his fingers. "So…you wouldn't feel weird about kissing me in this body?"

Gui's mouth twitched up into a half-smile. "I kind of already kissed you like this before. Even if I don't remember it."

Prince let a soft laugh escape from his mouth. He looked up at Gui sheepishly. "I'm being stupid, aren't I?"

"Incredibly."

Prince punched him in the gut. The result was much more satisfying than when Feng Lan had tried punching the professor several days ago. Prince helped the bard to his feet and as they both stood up Gui suddenly pulled him so that their bodies were flush together. Prince blushed. "Gui, we have to keep this a secret," he began rambling as he tried not to focus on how the bard was learning down towards him. "We can't let anyone know—"

"Shut up and let me kiss you," Gui murmured against Prince's mouth.

The elf gave in as his eyes fluttered close. The result was everything he could have dreamed of and more. In real life, Professor Min was always so gentle. Sometimes overly gentle as if afraid he would hurt the girl before him. But now, in Second Life, he could feel the fierce intensity of emotions behind the bard's heated kiss. He clung to Gui desperately as the bard did something very interesting with his tongue that made Prince's mind go pleasantly blank. His body felt like it was on fire everywhere the bard's fingers touched him. He pulled Gui impossibly closer and the two nearly toppled over onto the bed but Gui was able to right them in time. Prince sighed as Gui moved his attention from the elf's mouth to his neck.

A muffled cry suddenly came from Prince's side causing them both to freeze in mortified terror. "What are you doing to Mama?" Meatbun had somehow managed to poke his tiny head out of Prince's pouch and was staring with a horrified expression up at Gui.

Prince and Gui immediately leapt apart. As Gui stumbled backward, a swirl of fire leapt into the air. "Is something the matter with my Meatbun-bun?" a cool voice inquired above the bard's head.

Firephoenix hovered over the group, eyeing the still-horrified bun in worry and looking suspiciously at Prince and Gui. To see the two of them in a room alone bred some sort of unusual circumstance.

Meatbun began wailing. "Your owner was trying to eat Mama!" the tiny bun accused.

Firephoenix glared at Gui. He still didn't have many loyalty points with her and he paled at the thought of what she could do to him. "It wasn't like that!" he panicked. "It was just a kiss."

Firephoenix continued to glare. Her eyes narrowed into furious little slits of ebony black. Her tail plumes ignited with more fire. "Describe this thing. This _kiss_," she ordered.

Gui opened his mouth in terror. Prince cried out before he could say anything. "No! I will not allow my little bun to be corrupted."

Firephoenix did not look pleased. "Why won't you explain what my Meatbun-bun has already witnessed?" Prince's mouth dropped. _Her_ Meatbun? Since when did— "I need to understand what happened so I know best how to take care of my _husband_ after this mess."

Husband? Oh yes. Right. Of course. Prince turned extremely sullen and muttered something that sounded oddly like, "Yeah, well he was _mine_ first."

Gui nearly burst into laughter and a smirk crossed his face as he realized the potential for the situation. "A kiss is something two individuals do when they are in love," Gui explained. "It's a way of conveying your feelings through action."

Meatbun perked up intrigued. "I love Firebirdy."

Despite being consumed in flames, the blush on the phoenix's face was hard to miss. Prince also turned bright red, though for very different reasons. "Keep your bird away from my meat bun," Prince said angrily to Gui. "And stop giving them ideas."

"If Gui and Mama were kissing does that mean Mama loves Gui?" Meatbun suddenly inquired, staring up at Prince with those eyes that were so hard to say no to.

Prince blanched. Gui suddenly turned gleeful. "Yes," Gui encouraged. "Tell them how much you love me."

Prince hit Gui. "I do not love you."

"Then this kiss business is false?" Firephoenix turned angry eyes to Prince and Gui. "You lied to me." Firephoenix began to flare up with angry flames. Gui paled.

"I didn't lie! Prince really does love me," he turned frantically to the elf. "Prince, tell them you love me."

Prince looked at his nails impassively and gave a yawn as Firephoenix continued to bristle. He smiled wickedly. "Why should I do that?"

"Because I'll give you extra homework if you don't," Gui threatened.

Prince sweatdropped. "Hey! That's not fair!"

"So do you love him or don't you?" Firephoenix asked again.

Prince sighed and looked down at his feet. "Yes," he mumbled. "I'm in love with Gui."

The bard's face immediately brightened. Prince suddenly wished he didn't look so damn adorable with that idiotic look on his face. It was going to be the death of him.

"Meatbun-bun wants to kiss Firebirdy! Mama will show me how!" Meatbun suddenly began bouncing gleefully. Prince paled.

"Meatbun! No!"

Firephoenix narrowed her eyes again. "Why not?"

"Because you have to really love the other person in order for kissing to be alright!" Prince argued in a purist fashion. He was going to instill only the strictest morals in his precious little bun. His rant was cut short at the offended look on Firephoenix's face and the crestfallen look on Meatbun.

"Are you suggesting that Meatbun and I do not love each other despite the fact that we are married and you and the bard are not?" Firephoenix's words came out in the most controlled and angry whisper Prince had ever heard.

"Erm, no?" he squeaked.

"Then I suggest you show us how to kiss before you hurt my precious Meatbun anymore," Firephoenix concluded.

Gui grabbed Prince by the shoulders and brought him close. "It can't be helped," Gui smirked as he leaned down in order to get a better angle for kissing his beloved Blood Elf.

"I'm only doing this for Meatbun." Prince narrowed his eyes.

"I'll make you forget all about Meatbun," Gui swore with a mischievous smile and brought his lips to the elf's.

And indeed, Prince soon forgot about the fact that they had an audience and the fact that his precious bun was now staring oddly at Firephoenix and wondering how to recreate the display of affection currently being shared by their two owners. Prince forgot about everything the moment Gui's lips touched his own. He realized very happily that he didn't care. Gui was with him, in real life and in Second Life, and there was nothing that made him happier than the shared moments he spent with both professor and bard. He knew with certainty that Gui felt the same way about him, both student and elf, and that knowledge only made the elf fall deeper in love as he fell deeper into the bard's sweet kiss. When Gui pulled away momentarily to whisper, "I love you," into the Blood Elf's ear, Prince couldn't help but whisper the same back. Everything was perfect. _Everything_.

**~0~o~0~**

* * *

A/N: Thank you to **NarutoNineTailFox** for providing a wonderful end to _Stolen Kisses_. Bet you didn't realize your scene would be the conclusion. ;)

Maybe...just _maaaaybe_ I wrote an epilogue. *twiddles fingers*

Ok, I wrote an epilogue. -.-

But please still review this chapter, since technically the story is complete. Epilogue will be posted in the coming days.


	14. Epilogue

Disclaimer: 1/2 Prince belongs to Yu Wo.

A/N: I took a few liberties with this epilogue since I don't know the real ending of Half Prince. For those of you that do know, DO NOT TELL ME I DON'T WANT TO KNOW. I'll read it on my own when the time comes and I want to properly enjoy all the feelings of joy, anxiety, loss, completion, etc.

My epilogue is a world where Second Life remains and Prince is still an active part of it. I also don't know what year Feng Lan actually is in school so I'm guessing purely based on her age. For individuals whose names are unknown in Real Life, their Second Life names are used instead.

Thank you all for following my story and reading through to the end. Half Prince will no longer be primary focus in fanfiction writing since I promised to take my other stories off hiatus and finish them. My next endeavor will be a Fruits Basket fic called _Tohru's Secret Crush_ so please check that out if you read such things.

Thanks again to my darling beta-reader, **Astroelvengoddess**. I'm sure you'll never get rid of me.

* * *

**Epilogue**

Even after two years, Feng Lan still blushed a delicious shade of red when Gui Wen greeted her with a gentle kiss to her forehead and absentmindedly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. His hand slipped into one of hers perfectly as he carefully placed a light bundle into the other and smiled. "Congratulations," he whispered into her ear.

She gazed into his adoring face, hardly believing that such a person could ever have fallen in love with her. How the professor continued to find her interesting evaded her. He was so accomplished and talented for his age. She was nothing but normal, that is, in real life. In Second Life she was still the ridiculously famous and gorgeous Blood Elf. However, today she had achieved a monumental accomplishment in real life. Today she had finally graduated from XXX University.

And rather belatedly, she realized that she was still standing on the graduation stage, dressed in her cap and gown with diploma now in hand, making eyes at the professor voted hottest male on campus by the XXX University female student body and therefore elected to hand out diplomas to members of the graduating class. She could feel hundreds of angry sets of eyes glaring intensely at her figure. The silence echoed deafeningly loud at the realization of the unveiled relationship that Feng Lan and Professor Min had hidden for so long. The graduation announcer cleared his throat awkwardly as he recognized the tension rising in the air from the female population in the room. "Feng Yang Ming," he called into the microphone nervously to signal the boy's turn to walk onstage and receive his diploma.

As Yang Ming stepped out, an eruption of angry feminine voices exploded into the stilled air. Simultaneously, catcalls and whoops of approval were coming from Feng Lan's personal cheering section in which sat her parents, Ling Bin, Tian Lang, her cousin Ou Yang Mei (Snow White Rose), Long Shui Han (Lolidragon), and the real-life counterparts of Doll and Yu Lian. Shortly after she and Gui had gotten together, she'd revealed herself to the rest of her teammates and city officials who had all taken the news surprisingly well. Few, if any, seemed overly shocked at the revelation that Prince was played by a woman. Rose, Fairsky, and Ice Phoenix had all paled upon remembering their kisses with Prince earlier in-game. Especially Rose who seemed to enter a horrified sort of shock upon realizing she had been lusting after her _female_ cousin before finally settling down with Broken Sword. But that was the past, and things were normal now.

Feng Lan glared at the professor who only grinned sheepishly as the room behind her turned to chaos. "Well, you're not my student anymore. Best let the world know we're an item," his blue eyes danced in amusement.

"Just you wait until tonight," Feng Lan threatened. She was so going to beat him down in Second Life once she regained her increased strength over the bard.

Gui's eyes only lit up more suggestively at her word choice. "Oh? Is that an offer? You know we don't have to wait, but I'm looking forward to it." He winked as Feng Lan flushed at the insinuation.

"That's not what I meant," she glared.

Yang Ming cleared his throat behind her. "Sis, as much as I love watching you make googly eyes at the professor, I'd really like to get my diploma."

Feng Lan turned bright red as Yang Ming pushed her aside to receive his diploma from Professor Min. Yang Ming grabbed Gui Wen's hand by surprise and gave it a hearty shake. "Take care of my sister," he said. "I wouldn't trust anyone else with her."

Professor Min looked surprised and oddly touched by the words. "Thank you," he said. "I will."

Yang Ming smiled mischievously. "Good because I wouldn't wish her on my worst enemy."

"Yang Ming!" Feng Lan whapped him on the arm but both he and Gui had burst into laughter.

"Alright, you two, now get off the stage and I'll see you at the reception this evening," Gui Wen waved as Yang Ming dragged a scowling Feng Lan away. Lu Jing and Yun Fei gave them both hugs as they joined the ranks of those with diplomas already in hand. They all gave individual cheers of joy as the graduation ceremony eventually concluded and the entire class tossed their hats into the air in celebration. Feng Lan found herself looking up to catch Professor Min's eyes from his spot still on the stage. Her face burst into a happy smile. She couldn't believe this day had finally come.

**~o~0~o~**

Min Gui Wen stood staring out the balcony at the hotel hosting the graduation reception. Inside Feng Lan and Yang Ming were surrounded by their friends and family as the twins were congratulated repeatedly on graduating from XXX University. He fingered the metal object in his pocket nervously. He could hardly believe this day had finally come.

He heard soft but firm footsteps enter the landing as an individual came to stand slowly next to him. Without looking, Gui greeted the person. "Hello, Ling Bin."

"Gui." Ling Bin acknowledged the older man. They stood in comfortable silence for a while, past transgressions since forgiven. Gui eventually glanced over to see Ling Bin standing with hands shoved comfortably into his pants pockets. The younger man eventually stretched out, a flash of silver glinting on his ring finger as he reached his hands high into the air.

"How are things going with Ice Phoenix?" Gui inquired, despite already knowing the answer.

Ling Bin's face broke into a happy grin. "So you heard?" he couldn't stop smiling as he held up his hand, showing off his engagement ring. "She said yes."

"Congratulations."

"I should be saying something similar to you."

Gui's face paled as his hand went back to the metal band in his pocket. "So you heard?"

"Yang Ming spilled the beans," Ling Bin admitted. He smiled lightly as he looked back over to Gui. "When are you asking…" His voice trailed off as he looked meaningfully over at the group of people standing not too far away. Feng Lan stood in the middle, laughing about something that Doll had just said.

"Tonight."

Ling Bin turned surprised eyes to the professor. His face softened at the anxiety written all over the older man's face. He smiled encouragingly in an attempt to ease the professor's mind. "Have you ever given her any reason to say no?"

"Too many," Gui Wen sighed and tried to smile lightly, but the worry etched into his eyes ruined the nonchalant effect he'd been going for.

Ling Bin laughed. "Haven't we all?" He patted Gui on the back and turned to leave the balcony. "Stop looking like someone's trying to force feed you lemons. That girl loves you more than words can say."

Just before Ling Bin left entirely, Gui spoke up. "Was it difficult when you asked Ice Phoenix?"

"It was excruciating," Ling Bin answered bluntly. His eyes softened as he stared into the distance recalling the memory. He smiled. "But it was incredibly worth it in the end. Good luck."

Gui nodded weakly and turned back to look out over the balcony. He took in a shaky breath and exhaled.

Footsteps echoed across the balcony again, this time lighter and accompanied by a familiar and teasing voice. "Min Gui Wen," the voice sang almost melodically. "What are you doing out here all alone?"

Gui's face broke into smile as he turned around to face Feng Lan. "Waiting for you," he replied as his eyes took in her full appearance for the first time that evening. She wore modest heels and a very simple, but elegant black summer dress that tied behind the neck and was covered with shimmery pink flower designs. Her hair was tossed up in a messy bun and soft ringlets framed her glowing face. She was beautiful.

Feng Lan blushed at the professor's intense gaze. "Professor Min…"

"It's just Gui now," Gui Wen found himself responding in a much huskier voice than intended.

Feng Lan blushed harder. "Gui…" They stared at each other, and unbeknownst to them their companions inside had gone strangely silent as they all stared with wide eyes and grinning faces as they watched expectantly at the scene playing out before them. "Why don't you come inside and join the party?" Feng Lan finished as she regained control of her voice.

Gui swallowed nervously as he reached inside his pocket again, hand grasped tightly around the ring waiting to be taken out. "In a bit," he swallowed nervously. He looked uncertainly at her and felt the strange urge to suddenly be sick. Feng Lan looked at him in concern.

"Is everything alright?"

Gui nodded his head, afraid of the words spilling out of his mouth. "I have a question to ask you."

She gasped and held her hands up to her face as he knelt down before her and pulled out a shiny, silver ring.

**~o~0~o~**

That night in Second Life, the Odd Squad and Infinite City's officials threw a small party for their liege lord.

"Congratulations on graduating," White Bird greeted Prince.

"Congratulations on the _engagement_," Lolidragon followed with a smug grin.

"Engaged?" White Bird looked wildly from Prince's blushing face to the bard standing on the opposite side of the room talking to Ugly Wolf. "Since when?"

"This evening at the graduation reception," Lolidragon answered for Prince, who scowled slightly at the thief.

"Didn't I say to separate the me in real-life with the me in Second Life?" he narrowed his eyes, sounding slightly perturbed.

"But I just can't help but share the good news!" Lolidragon exclaimed. "And anyways, Gui's face has been glowing all evening. It's kind of hard to miss," she stated matter-of-factly.

Prince turned around to see if this was true. Gui was talking animatedly to Ugly Wolf, Wicked, and Wu Qing. His face was lit up with a handsomely boyish grin and he'd never looked happier in his life. Prince melted on the inside.

"Congratulations," White Bird repeated, smiling gently as she whispered into Prince's ear. "I wish you two all the best."

"Thank you," Prince muttered in embarrassment. "But you really don't need to do that."

White Bird ruffled Prince's hair in a motherly fashion. "All we've ever hoped for is your happiness. You made Second Life what it is today. You made it more than just a game and we're more than just a team or your constituents. You're a legend to us and to Second Life. Every legend deserves a happy ending."

Prince flushed completely at White Bird's words. He'd never realized she cared so much. He mumbled another embarrassed thanks to which she simply smiled at him, eyes beaming with pride and delight, and walked away to her own husband who was now talking to Feng Lan's parents. He suspected she had gone to give her congratulations to them as well.

Before Prince knew it, Gui had sidled up next to him and slipped his hand gently into his. "Care to take a walk with me?" he asked quietly. Prince, still in a pleasant daze from White Bird's compliment, merely nodded his head and followed the bard wordlessly out the door.

When they reached outside, Prince realized they were in the courtyard and thousands of dazzling, brilliant stars gleamed overhead. He smiled tenderly at the realization of their location. He leaned against the wall and smirked. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?" Prince asked the bard directly.

Gui flushed. "Aren't you the cheeky one these days?" he retorted, though he did seem pleased that Prince immediately recognized their surroundings.

"Funny, how this is where it all started and you don't remember a thing."

"_But_," Gui said, "if I had the capacity to remember anything I wouldn't have done anything. So aren't you glad for my forgetfulness?"

"How many times have we had this same argument?"

"Too many," Gui smiled as he placed his hands on either side of the elf and leaned down to kiss him.

Prince held a hand to his chest, stopping him short. "Is there a reason you brought me out here? The guest of honor can't go mysteriously missing halfway through the celebration."

Gui pouted and played with the hem of Prince's collar. "I've barely gotten any alone time with you all day. Is it wrong to want to spend time with my fiancé?"

"Gui…" Prince blushed profusely. It was true. Preparations for the graduation ceremony had taken up most of the day. Then there was the graduation itself. The reception hadn't afforded much alone time either. As soon as Feng Lan had answered yes through happy tears of joy, the two were immediately surrounded by their friends and family who had been watching the whole time waiting to congratulate the two on their future happiness. After that, Gui had secretly been wishing to whisk away his bride-to-be all evening, but before they knew it, the entire group was leaving the reception only to hurry home and log into Second Life for Prince's party.

Gui nuzzled the side of Prince's face. "I've missed you so much," he whispered.

The blush remained steadfast on the elf's cheeks. "You spent time with me yesterday," Prince pointed out, trying to sound irritated but failing miserably.

"It wasn't enough," Gui answered as he began trailing light kisses along Prince's jaw line.

Prince squirmed. "Gui, we can't do this now! The party…they'll be wondering where I am…"

"They won't care," Gui responded breezily and he moved downward to Prince's neck. The elf unconsciously leaned to the side slightly, giving the bard better access as he exposed more of the skin on his neck.

"Gui, really, we can't…ahhh…what are you doing?" Prince clutched desperately at the bard's shoulders as his knees suddenly turned to jelly. He closed his eyes as the briefest moan passed through his lips.

Gui pulled back smirking. "Still in a rush to get back to the party?"

"I…what…you…" Prince stared up at Gui with dazed, unfocused eyes. He couldn't seem to think straight much less form a coherent sentence.

"I love it when I leave you speechless," Gui remarked in satisfaction and leaned forward to capture Prince's lips with his own. The elf didn't even have the capacity to protest. He grabbed the front of Gui's shirt to pull him closer and felt the hardness of the stone press into his back as he became trapped between the bard and the wall.

Prince sighed happily at Gui's gentle kiss which was very controlled and heartfelt. It was like Gui was pouring every ounce of love possible into the intimate gesture. The result was divine and Prince could only stand there feeling blissful as his tongue dueled gently with the bard's. Prince felt Gui's hands cup either side of his face as if to pull him closer so Prince responded likewise by sliding his hands up the bard's chest to encircle his neck. They stood there, entwined in each other's embrace and enjoying the feel of their bodies pressed together, until the sound of someone clearing their throat loudly and rather unabashedly broke the spell and forced them to look up.

_Click!_

"This is going on the front page of the Infinite Enquirer," Lolidragon announced gleefully with photo critter in hand. "_Prince seduced under moonlight by dashingly handsome bard. His true orientation revealed?_ Ah, I can see the headlines now!"

Prince's eyes widened as he still rested in Gui's embrace. "You wouldn't _dare_."

"Gui announced your relationship in front of the entire school today. I think it's only fair you finally renounce your supposed bachelor status in Second Life. I've been waiting for this to go public since it first began," Lolidragon smirked wickedly. "It's not right for just your teammates to know."

"Lolidragon…" Prince growled.

_Click!_ Pause. _Click! Click! Click!_

"Oh, and now we have photos of you two looking upset about being caught. Too perfect! I have an entire story now."

Elf and bard immediately sprang apart and began scrambling for the photo critter which rapidly took flight from the thief's arms. Lolidragon cackled like mad as the two made leaping gestures throughout the courtyard as they chased after the tiny robotic creature. "When you've finished, we're expecting you back at the party to make a toast so we can eat the cake. Then we'll open the bottles of rice wine," Lolidragon called to Prince as she exited the courtyard, still laughing and shaking her head at the sight of her two ridiculous teammates.

As she reentered the party, Wu Qing took her by the hand and gently kissed her on the cheek. "So are those two finally coming back or do we need the Jaws of Life to pry them apart?"

"Oh, they'll be coming back soon enough," Lolidragon's eyes gleamed as she waved him off. "They're just a little busy at the moment."

Wu Qing made a face. "Thank you for that disgusting imagery. I can safely empty my stomach now."

Lolidragon didn't even bother to correct him. She merely grinned to herself, wondering how long it would take for Prince and Gui to finally capture the photo critter. She grinned even wider at the thought of how long it would take for them to realize it didn't have any film. _Once an idiot, always an idiot_, Lolidragon thought to herself and reached up to plant a very firm kiss on a surprised Wu Qing.

Moments later, an extremely angry and disheveled Blood Elf walked through the door with an equally irate and mussed up bard. "Lolidragon…" Prince began and threw the now broken photo critter at his feet.

Yu Lian eyed the wrecked contraption in horror. "Is that my…"

Before she could finish, Lolidragon took off in delight, laughing merrily, as Prince and Gui both charged after her. The remaining members of the party looked on in vague amusement as the three ran circles around the room. As soon as Yu Lian had some semblance of what was going on, she began yelling at Prince from the sidelines for breaking her expensive equipment. Ugly Wolf just stood next to her, chuckling and half-heartedly trying to console his very angry wife.

All was well in Second Life, and no one would change that for the world.

**The End**

**~0~o~0~**


End file.
